D R A G O N 1

as it ever occurred to you how much big-time foot-ball resembles a fantasy adventure game? Playersprepare themselves in a dungeon (the locker room),set out for the wilderness (the field) at the appointedtime, and then proceed to conduct melee after me-

ContentsMONSTERS OF THE MIDWAY — A fantasy football

game for two players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

OTHER FEATURESDragon Rumbles: Guest editorial by E. Gary Gygax . . . . . . 4Blastoff! — First look at the STAR FRONTIERS™ game . . . 7Weapons wear out, skills don’t — Variant system for

AD&D™ rules on weapon proficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19The Missing Dragons — Completing the colors . . . . . . . . . . 27Timelords — A new NPC, any time you’re ready . . . . . . . . . . 32Tuatha De Danann — Celtic mythos revised . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Law of the Land — Give your world “personality” . . . . . . . . 56WAR! — Every campaign can use conflict. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63The Pong papers — TOP SECRET® advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66Module Design Contest — All you need to know . . . . . . . . . 71

Greyhawk’s World

REGULAR OFFERINGSOut on a Limb —

— Latest campaign news

Letters from readers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

2From the Sorceror’s Scroll — New character classes. . . . . .

Leomund’s Tiny Hut —

9

Weapon & armor quality. . . . . . . . . . 13Featured Creatures — The baku and the phoenix . . . . . . . . . 25Convention schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Up on a Soapbox — Playing styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Dragon’s Augury:

Wizardry; Akalabeth; Crush, Crumble & Chomp . . . . . . . . 73The Chamax Plague / Horde . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Empire Builder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

What’s New . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76Wormy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78Dragon Mirth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

SPECIAL ATTRACTIONlee until a victor emerges. We’ve taken that line of reasoningone step further with MONSTERS OF THE MIDWAY, thisissue’s special inclusion. You can choose and coach a team ofAD&D™ monsters — and the team that wins isn’t always the onewith the biggest players: that little guy with the hairy feet canreally kick!

This month’s article section is chock full of new material forD&D® and AD&D campaigns. In Leomund’s Tiny Hut, LenLakofka unveils a system for determining the quality of armorand weapons, which is complemented by Christopher Town-send’s proposal for a new way of defining weapon proficiency.If new monsters are more up your alley, you’ll enjoy the officialdescriptions of the baku and the phoenix in Gary Gygax’sFeatured Creatures column, followed by Richard Lloyd’s exam-ination of “The Missing Dragons.”

In the second installment of his intermittent series on how tobuild a “realistic” fantasy world, Ed Greenwood spells out theneed for an adventuring environment to have its own set of lawsand customs — so that the world (or each part of the world)

In the category of new character classes, we present anotherof Lew Pulsipher’s inventions, the Timelord. And the main topicof From the Sorcerer’s Scroll is a description of new character

takes on a “personality” all its own and provides a vibrant, vital

classes and sub-classes from the notebooks of Mr. Gygax thatare being considered for inclusion in the upcoming AD&D

backdrop for the activities of the player characters. Immediate-

expansion volume.

ly following Ed’s article, Lew Pulsipher addresses a similarissue from a different angle, suggesting that the presence ofwar and conflict — or at least the threat of it — is what keeps acampaign alive. Which, conveniently enough, brings us fullcircle, back to MONSTERS OF THE MIDWAY — because if afootball game isn’t a war, then what is? — KM

Firing back

For one, Greenwood’s article was not anattempt to change the AD&D system into ahistorical simulation. Gunnery would remainmore of an art rather than a science. Earlyfirearms were crude, cumbersome, and veryfew in number. Their effect on the game as awhole would be minor, as the guns’ use wouldbe extremely limited. Cold steel and magic,rather than gunpowder, would remain as the“great equalizers.”

Kwang Lee’s letter (“Out on a Limb,” issue#63) against Ed Greenwood’s “Firearms” arti-cle (issue #60) appeared to jump to severalconclusions.

Dear Editor:

Experimentation and further developmentof these weapons should be firmly controlledby the DM. Suggestions from the players can

be used, but development and use of majorfirearms should be limited to NPC’s and theDM. If players insist on expanding their armo-ry by developing gunpowder, a DM-inventedthreat can be extremely persuasive in haltingsuch activity. Or, better yet, the DM can saythat the character’s gunpowder just doesn’twork (due to wetness, improper mixing, etc.).

If a player persists, and the DM is feelingparticularly nasty, a percentage chance canbe used to determine if the gunpowder acci-dentally explodes (a 500-pound charge ofgunpowder going off in a laboratory tends tostop further research for a time). These meth-ods, both warnings and direct action, will pre-vent “mad wizards” from abusing gunpowder.

Lee also complains about the use of a can-non that does 5-50 points of damage whennormal people only have 3 hit points. Only afool would use an 8½-inch cannon against a

single normal person. A cannon of that size ismade to be used against forts, not people.Besides, the 14 rounds it takes to reload the8,000-pound monster is more than enoughtime to get out of the gun’s line of fire, as theycannot follow moving targets (they haveenough trouble hitting fixed ones as it is).

In combat situations, 5-50 is not as power-ful as it may seem. A medium-level (6th level)magic-user spits out more damage in lessthan one-seventh of the time (two fireballs for6-36 each, or 12-72 total); a red dragon caninflict up to 164 points of damage on a party ina single round! This does not include the 88points of breath weapon available to some ofthese creatures. The 50-point maximum ofthe cannon pales when confronted by thiswhirlwind of power.

However, the final choice is up to the indi-vidual. If gunpowder is used in a campaign,

2 SEPTEMBER 1982

the DM should determine beforehand theamount of the guns’ use and the extent of theireffect. A pre-set limit on the evolution of theweapons and the DM’s firm control of theiruse will make it impossible for the weapons todisrupt the balance of the game.

Steven ZamboniSacramento, Calif.

Jester adjustmentsDear Editor:

The article in DRAGON #60 about elves wassuperb, as were the sections on alignmentand cantrips. Then came a new NPC class, theJester. I thought the Jester was very welldone, but I found three mistakes.

First, on Table I, the experience level is tenlevels higher for the first ten categories than itshould be. A simple typographical error, butstill . . .

Second, according to the article half-orcsmay achieve 4th level — but this is wrong. Inorder to become a Jester, a charisma of 13 orgreater is needed, and no half-orc may pos-sess a charisma rating higher than 12 (seeCharacter Race Table III, page 15, PH).

Finally, Jesters gain spell power as theyadvance in level. Unfortunately, halflings anddwarves may advance to respectable level,thus gaining the ability to cast spells of a mag-ical nature. This is a power specifically prohi-bited to either race. I find this particularlyironic because Mr. Moore (the author) oncewrote, “Dwarves do not use any magicalspells . . .” (DRAGON #58, page 25).

All told, I still have great respect for Mr.Moore’s writing skills, as I do for all the con-tributing authors to your magazine.

Richard Falkenrath, Jr.Little River, Calif.

We plead guilty to the first count, Richard. Itwas indeed a “simple” typesetting error; call itnine errors, if you want to get particular, butdon’t blame us for ten of ‘em. The levelnumbers 11-19 at the top of the experiencepoint chart should be 1-9, obviously — butlevel 10 is supposed to be level 10.

However, I think we can debate your sec-ond and third complaints. Neither the author(Roger Moore) nor the editor (me) thoughtabout the half-orc’s charisma limit before thearticle was printed — but remember that thelimit of 12 does not apply to other half-orcs,and a half-orc’s charisma with respect to oth-ers of the same race can be higher than that.(See pages 16-17, PH.) A DM who wants touse a half-orc jester NPC could justify it by

allowing the character to meet the charismaqualification as long as the character’s pre-generated score for that ability is 13 or higher.

I can’t explain the final “mistake” you point-ed out by referring to a rule book, but I can askyou to accept the “fact” that the jester, aspresented in that article, is a unique characterclass, and dwarves and halflings who aremembers of that class are likewise unique intheir ability to manipulate (however ineffi-ciently and unpredictably) some of the forcesof magic. As support for that line of reason-ing, I offer this month’s edition of “From theSorceror’s Scroll” (page 9), wherein GaryGygax describes his concept of a jester as acharacter — which can be human, gnome, orhalfling — with “some magic-user spells andillusionist magic.” If both he and we havemade a “mistake,” then at least we’re in goodcompany. — KM

‘Just a game’Dear Editor:

I have been playing D&D and AD&D forthree and a half years. I have found it veryenjoyable and interesting, and also quiteharmless.

Yet I am constantly reading articles by peo-ple who claim that D&D gets kids into demon-ics, lowers their respect for life, and is anti-religious. Some of these people claim to haveplayed D&D. One man said he was going toraise money through donations and “buy asmany copies of the game as I can and thenburn them.” In some schools D&D has beenprohibited.

Why is it that people can’t see that D&D isjust a game, and one of the best gamesaround?

Nels BrucknerJasper, Ore.

Nels’ letter is one of many on this subjectthat we’ve received over the past year or so,and it asks the same question we’ve asked:Why, indeed, can’t these people see that theD&D® and AD&D™ games are just games?Games that are meant as diversions, gamesthat are meant to be fun, but games. Nothingmore — and nothing less. What’s wrong withplaying a game?

We’re sure you’ve all seen the stories innewspapers and magazines and on television.(Our critics are good at getting attention inthe media, and this issue makes for sensa-tional headlines.) Basically, those who criti-cize our games say they somehow promote

(Continued on page 70)

The rule to end all rulesIf you couldn’t find any victo-

ry conditions in the rules for How to winPLANET BUSTERS (issue#64), When the Peace Treaty counter ishere’s an extra paragraph thatshould make everything clear.The rules do mention that play-ers are “all seeking to bring themost planets under their con-trol,” but we accidentally left

drawn, the game immediately ends. ThePeace Treaty must be revealed, and nofurther actions can be taken. Each playertotals the number of planets melded inhis or her Sphere of Influence. The player

out this more detailed descrip- with the greatest number of planets —tion of how to win. not the most points on planet counters

— is the winner.

Vol. VII, No. 4 September 1982

Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jake JaquetEditor-in-Chief . . . . . . . . . Kim MohanEditorial staff . . . . . . . . . . . Bryce Knorr

Marilyn MaysGali Sanchez

Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . Debbie ChiusanoCirculation . . . . . . . Corey KoebernickOffice staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cherie Knull

Roger RauppContributing editors . . . . Roger Moore

Ed Greenwood

This issue’s contributing artists:Clyde Caldwell Mary Hanson-Jim Holloway RobertsLarry Elmore David LarsonJeff Easley Phil FoglioRay Williams David TrampierPaul Sonju Edward AtwoodRoger Raupp

DRAGON Magazine (ISSN 0279-6848) is pub-lished monthly for a subscription price of $24per year by Dragon Publishing, a division of TSRHobbies, inc., P.O. Box 110, Lake Geneva WI53147.

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DRAGON™ is a trademark for Dragon Publish-ing’s monthly adventure playing aid. All rightson the contents of this publication are reserved,and nothing may be reproduced from it in wholeor in part without prior permission in writingfrom the publisher. Copyright © 1982 by TSRHobbies, Inc.

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D R A G O N 3

Guest editorialThere have been battle lines drawn for

years now. These lines separate TSRfrom most of the rest of the adventuregaming industry. The contest is intensi-fying. It is time that someone spokeabout it. Here is the story:

Fifteen years ago I began runningGEN CON® Conventions on behalf ofthe International Federation of Wargam-ing, of which I was an officer. The firstsuch gaming event in the U.S. attractedabout 100 people, only half of whomwere gamers. Still, they came from theeast and west coasts, Canada, and Texasas well as from Wisconsin, Illinois, Min-nesota, Iowa, Indiana, and the rest of theMidwest. For five years IFW ran the con-vention, and it received no support fromanyone outside the organization. Grant-ed, some companies would exhibit at theshow, and the miniatures firms gaveprizes, but that was about it. Even thoughthere was a pattern of growing interestand attendance (over 650 at the GENCON V show), there was no aid or assist-ance to be had.

When the IFW folded, our local grouptook over. The GEN CON VI conventionwas run by the Lake Geneva TacticalStudies Association, with the support ofmany gamers and other small clubs. Asusual, the convention was a success,with gamers coming from all over thenation. A fair number of firms exhibited,and more than 700 gamers were there tobuy their wares. From number VII on,TSR was a part of the show.

The management of GEN CON con-ventions was assumed by TSR with amixture of pride and duty. We wereproud that so many gamers supportedthe event. The sense of duty arose fromthis support of our fellow game hobby-ists. The LGTSA co-sponsored numberVII with Tactical Studies Rules. By 1975,most of the old club members were eith-er part of TSR Hobbies, Inc., gone fromthe area, or out of gaming for a time. TSRthen took over sole responsibility for theconvention, and the show has been apart of the hobby scene ever since.

The GEN CON VIII show had a com-petitor; the first Origins convention wasrun in Baltimore that year. It is probablethat Avalon Hill noticed two things: first,GEN CON attendance was growing, and

4 SEPTEMBER 1982

by E. Gary Gygax

the gamers loved it; second, TSR wasgrowing because of hobbyist support,and the convention seemed to be astrong part of our growth.

Thus, gamers suddenly had two con-ventions to choose from. GEN CON,with a history of eight solid years of ser-vice to hobbyists from all over the NorthAmerican continent, was passed off as a“miniatures” gathering of a “regional”nature. Origins, the gaming public wastold, was a national convention featuringboardgames. The attendance figures forboth events in 1975 were about the same.Despite the heavy touting put behindOrigins, it drew perhaps a couple ofhundred more than did that year’s GENCON convention — possibly less, but thelines were drawn.

The lines were drawn, in fact, on whatseems to have been a purely commercialbasis. The GEN CON convention, havingbeen a service to hobbyists for years,was called a mere “regional, miniatures-oriented,” and amateur-sponsored event.Origins asserted itself as “national” and“professional” (after all, Avalon Hill wasbehind it), and dealt with the importantaspects of gaming — boardgames of AHmanufacture principally. Of course, noboardgame company would ever spon-sor game tournaments at the GEN CONconventions, although we did run largetourneys nonethless.

Faced with such stern competition,GEN CON conventions did what theywere not supposed to — they grewbigger, better, and more famous. Sud-denly, Origins began advertising itsbrand of gaming awards, the CharlesRoberts Awards. No need to point outthe GEN CON conventions had alreadybeen passing out the Strategists ClubAwards a few years before the learnedfolks running Origins thought it wouldbe a nice touch to recognize achieve-ment. Likewise, a trade show feature be-came a major factor of Origins after theGEN CON show successfully institutedthe aspect.

Origins, the “national” convention, didnot materially outdo or outdraw GENCON conventions for the two years itstayed in Baltimore. SPI was brought

Guest editorialinto the picture to run an Origins con-vention in New York. Keep in mind that in1977 AH and SPI were the leaders, size-wise, of the industry, such as it was. TheNew York Origins wasn’t much. TheGEN CON X convention, our big show atthe Playboy Club in Lake Geneva (wehad outgrown everything else, evencombined, in Lake Geneva, and the loca-tion did have a certain mystique at thetime), was most successful. TSR’s famegrew, and we topped the $500,000 markeasily when industry statistics were ga-thered and published next year. It thenbecame apparent that there were the“big 2” (AH and SPI), followed by TSR,and somewhere back in the rear was therest of the field. It was also easy to seethat we were still coming on strong.

From our standpoint, we were doingtwo things. The conventions were run tokeep us in touch with our roots — to leteveryone know that we still cared aboutthe gamers who supported us so strong-ly. It was a lot of work, and we lost a fairamount of money doing it, but it was agood way to say “Thanks” to the gamers.We were also going about the businessof producing games for hobbyists, incompetition with the remainder of theindustry. We had invited them all toshare the GEN CON event as a way ofexpressing appreciation to all game hob-byists. Instead, the competition chose touse conventions as a field of battle, plac-ing Origins as their “champion.” In 1978,Origins moved to Michigan — virtually inGEN CON’s back yard. At the same time,the GEN CON convention moved to anew site, its current home at the Univer-sity of Wisconsin-Parkside campus nearKenosha, Wis. That year Origins out-drew the GEN CON show by about 1,000persons.

The GEN CON gathering offered moreevents for more persons, but drew fewerbecause we were going against a com-bined effort. The gamers in the Midwestwere well served that year, but the rest ofthe nation was neglected. In 1976 I hadasked both AH and SPI to consider aproposal to establish solid conventionsthroughout the U.S. Such conventions,tied to a specific, regular locale, wouldbuild gamer interest and serve hobby-ists. Origins, run twice in Baltimore, wasone. The GEN CON series of shows wasanother. Help other groups, I urged, todo the same elsewhere. Thereafter, afloating “crown” could be moved fromone established convention to another.Each region of the country would alwaysbe host to a superior event which couldbe relied upon. One would get specialattention each year. Those hobbyistswho couldn’t afford to travel far couldstill be at a big convention, and they

would know when their show was to behost to the featured event of that year.Mutual advertising would thus spreadthe fame of all of the conventions. Themedia would cover these conventions,more gamers would be gained, and ev-eryone would prosper. As I said earlier,Origins went to New York, then the De-troit area thereafter . . .

During the last few years, as TSR hasovertaken all of the others in the industryand then left them so far behind as tomake it no contest, the composition ofOrigins has changed greatly. Now GENCON events are known as role-playingconventions —what happened to the rapwe used to take about miniatures? Sim-ilarly, when we begin featuring SPI gametournaments in 1983, what stigma will beattached to the convention is anybody’sguess. The convention scene is fast be-coming a battleground which TSR’scompetitors no longer see as desirable,even though it is their chosen ground!TSR has successfully established a regu-lar convention held in Florida each win-ter, thanks to the Cowford Dragoons andthe support of hobbyists. It has run twoannual shows on the East Coast, thisyear in the face of sudden desertion bythe group supposedly helping to run it,and then letters from someone statingthat we would not run a GEN CON therein 1982! For a non-happening, the con-vention (GEN CON East II) was certainlyfun and well attended. I know, because Iwas there.

In short, TSR sponsors or co-sponsorsthe GEN CON, GEN CON East, and GENCON South events, plus three small con-ventions in Lake Geneva — Spring Rev-el, Autumn Revel, and Winter Fantasy.We are looking for more regional “big-gies” to help with, and it is likely that wewill also add at least one more small con-vention to those we run in Lake Geneva.Again, we do this to build our industryand to express our thanks to the gamers.TSR has always thought the best placeto compete with others in the industrywas in excellence of games. Pettiness,jealousy, and spite are not part of a pro-fessional attitude.

Origins is now a feature of the associa-tion known as GAMA. Avalon Hill andmost of the remainder of the industrybelong to this association. Since the as-sociation’s sole function seems to be thesponsorship of Origins, TSR does notbelong to GAMA. TSR does belong tothe Hobby Industry of America Associa-tion. We will be pleased to join any asso-ciation which represents a broad spec-trum of game manufacturers (such asParker Brothers, Atari, Milton Bradley,Mattel, and so forth). Assuming thatsuch an association would be formed to

D R A G O N 5

Guest editorial promote the whole spectrum of games toboth the trade and the general public,TSR would give it full support.

Meanwhile, there is no reason forGAMA, as it does nothing but attempt tosponsor an event which was formed tocompete with the GEN CON show, lessenits repute, and seemingly “teach” TSRwhere we belonged. The lesson is clear,and we are pleased that all of you feelthat we deserve to be where we are.Meanwhile, most of the GAMA member-ship does not support GEN CON effortsanywhere. Some are openly hostile toGEN CON gatherings, some appear towork sub rosa against these events, oth-ers of GAMA refuse to mention anythingabout any GEN CON convention.

Thus the lines are drawn, and they aredrawn just where they have always been.Aside from one or two companies whohave always supported efforts to bringfun to hobbyists, the lines are betweenTSR and the remainder of the industry.When we began business in 1973, wewere laughed off as a miniatures-orientedcompany. Later, we became the strangefellows who thought fantasy was morefun than wargames! Then we became the“lucky” nobodies riding a fluke whichwould soon burn out. There are fewhobby gaming companies who don’thave coat-tail products aimed at the TSRmarket these days; few who do not pub-lish fantasy role-playing games, fantasygames, science fiction games. And stillTSR is envied and sniped at. The rumormill of GAMA members publishes “in-side” information about what we are do-ing. Rumor claims we are doing this, suf-fering that, and meanwhile you goodgamers out there continue to supportTSR and GEN CON conventions whole-heartedly! Our thanks! I assure you thatwe will strive to give you the best ofgames, the best of fun, and all else wecan do the show how much we appre-ciate your continuing confidence in TSRand its efforts.

The gist of the matter is now at hand.Origins is not the bed of roses TSR’scompetitors thought it would be. Weknow from running scores of conven-tions over the years that it takes time,manpower, and money to run a fineconvention.

Conventions are not a source of mo-ney to those who run them. They are adrain. A convention can only be viewedas worthwhile in terms of service to hob-byists and as a publicity vehicle — thelatter only if major media attention isgained by the event. TSR runs its con-ventions as a service to gamers, with agoal of making them break even finan-cially someday. That way we can help tosponsor more of them. We gain publicity

6 SEPTEMBER 1982

through other means. We advertise andpromote to find new gamers.

It would seem GAMA members viewconventions as another thing entirely.Could it be that they thought of Originsas a source of cash from sales to conven-tioneers? Do they view exposure to me-dia and to gamers at an Origins event asa means to build their companies? In myopinion, this seems the likely answer.Why else would the competition betweenGEN CON conventions and Origins beso strong? Unless the events were re-garded as profitable in terms of dollarsand publicity, why make a battlegroundout of an area where dedicated gamersare being served?

TSR does not think that GAMA servesthe adventure gaming industry, becauseOrigins does not serve the hobbyist.Rather than promote local conventions,Origins comes into various portions ofthe nation and kills local convention ef-forts. It does not serve the majority ofgamers. It does not help the industry.TSR is not and will not in the future be apart of Origins. The competitors and de-tractors of TSR have chosen to makeconventions the battleground. In orderto answer this challenge, TSR has takenthe only course open to us. We will nolonger attend Origins. No TSR games,including SPI games these days, can bean official part of Origins. Furthermore, Iam now asking that you not supportOrigins and GAMA activities as long asthat convention is treated as somethingother than what it should be — a funplace for dedicated gamers to gatherand enjoy the play of games. TSR prom-ises to make its GEN CON conventionsbetter than ever, and we ask that youshow your support of our efforts by at-tending them rather than Origins. Wewill assist groups in running local con-ventions so that solid annual events canbe established. This builds our hobbyand serves the gamers. We will promoteand advertise such events. This buildsour hobby and serves the gaming com-munity. We will sponsor tournamentsand award prizes to winners. This pro-motes excellence of play and rewardsdedication amongst gamers. We willsend our employees to assist with con-ventions, and we will send top personnelto meet hobbyists. This is a service.

TSR will expand its valuable resourcesto get the best for conventioneers—thebest in location, name guests, and newproducts. All of that serves gamers. TSRwill not assist efforts to abridge theevents offered to hobbyists nationwide.It will not be a part of efforts aimed atspoiling the most popular game systems.TSR will not assist others to take awayour market. It will not aid our detractors.

We believe in competition on an above-the-board basis. We support our audi-ence as loyally as they back us, so we donot desire a ruination of the conventionnetwork throughout the nation.

This is likely to be the last thing youwill read about the whole matter fromTSR. It needed to be brought out in theopen so that interested gamers would nolonger need to wonder what was goingon between TSR and the rest of the in-dustry. Now you know. TSR plans to goon running as many conventions as itpossibly can. We will co-sponsor and as-sist with as many others as our resourcespermit. We do so in service to the hobby,as a way of expressing our sincere ap-preciation for years of loyal support fromall of you. In my opinion, Origins and itssupporters see conventions as a battle-ground, a place to “stamp out” TSR onceand for all.

If Origins is the best convention, thereasoning goes then that sponsors ofOrigins have the best products, are thebest manufacturers, and will become theleaders of the adventure gaming indus-try. TSR views conventions quite differ-ently. Our view appears to have the mostmerit. Sometimes Origins has been largerthan GEN CON; sometimes, GEN CONshows have been larger than Origins.Both should be service events, however,united to commercial efforts. TSR hasoutpaced all of the remainder of the in-dustry combined, regardless of the at-tendance of any given convention in re-spect to any other.

Now is the time to let everyone knowhow you feel about the matter. If youview conventions as a place to have funwithout an onus of taking sides, then Isuggest that you should stay away fromboth GEN CON shows and Origins en-tirely, until one or the other disappears.However, if you support the TSR view ofconventions — if you believe that we arecorrect in thinking that conventionsshould serve the whole gaming com-munity — then I am asking that youdemonstrate your support as you havenever done in the past. Tell the GAMAand Origins people about it in writing.Support GEN CON conventions by at-tendance. Let the other side in this dis-pute know your displeasure with theircommercial attitude by staying awayfrom Origins. This year all of the Originsbackers stood up vocally for their side. Iam asking that all supporters of hobbygaming now make their voice heard. Ibelieve it is a matter of principle, and I amcertain that you can make a difference ifyou so desire. Commercially, there is noquestion as to who stands where. I ask:“Do you really care about your hobby?”Only you, the gamer, can answer.

B l a s t o f f !The workis done —now comesthe fun

The STAR FRONTIERS™ game pro-ject was ambitious from the start. Theproblems that appear when designingthree complete and detailed alien cul-tures, a huge frontier area, futuristicequipment and weapons, and the gamerules that make all these elements worktogether, were impossible to predictand not easy to overcome. But the dif-ficulties were resolved, and the result isa game that lets players enter a trulywide-open space society and explore,wander, fight, trade, or adventurethrough it in the best science-fictiontradition.

The STAR FRONTIERS set includes:

A 16-page Basic Game rule bookA 64-page Expanded Game rule

bookA 32-page introductory module,

Crash on Volturnus2 full-color maps, 23” x 35”

and 10¾" by 17" A sheet of 285 full-color counters

by Steve WinterThe races

A quartet of intelligent, starfaringraces inhabit the STAR FRONTIERSrules. New player characters can be

D R A G O N 7

members of any one of these groups:Humans (basically just like you

and me)Vrusk (insect-like creatures with

10 limbs)Yazirians (ape-like humanoids

able to glide short distances usinglateral membranes)

Dralasites (amorphous creaturesthat can control and even alter theshape of their bodies)

Characters for the STAR FRONTIERSgame are created by a system that gen-erates two characteristics at a time. Sim-ilar abilities are paired, so no characterwill ever have (for instance) a high dex-terity score and a low reaction speed. Inaddition, characters can use experiencepoints they earn during adventures toraise their ability scores, to learn one of13 special skills, or to improve a skill theyalready know.

The frontierAfter communicating via radio mes-

sages for years, these four starfaring ra-ces meet in a region of space called theFrontier Sector. This vast region, 1,500cubic light-years, contains 38 star sys-tems. Only 17 of these systems havebeen explored and colonized when thegame starts.

Free enterprise is the law of the Fron-tier, and corporations compete with eachother and local governments to controlthe most profitable areas and to openroutes to unexplored systems. Playercharacters are placed in this unexploredterritory. They can work as corporate orgovernment agents, or can strike out ontheir own as free-lance adventurers.

Despite their apparent differences, thefour races share one thing: a commonenemy that came upon them some timeago. Without warning, a fleet of warshipsattacked Frontier outposts and isolatedcolonies, destroying whatever they foundwherever they went, fighting to the deathor destroying themselves to avoid beingcaptured. Only after several battles wasit learned that the marauders were theSathar, an evil race of worm-like aliensfrom outside the frontier.

In the face of this onslaught, the fourplayer races formed a loose military al-liance to protect their colonies: the Uni-ted Planetary Federation. The secondwave of Sathar attacks was met by UPFwarships. The invaders were slowlybeaten back, system by system, untilthey withdrew completely, leaving noclues that would lead the victors back totheir home world.

Defeated in space, the Sathar turnedto terrorism. Humans, Dralasites, Vrusk,and Yazirians were recruited to sabotagefrontier bases and destroy the morale ofthe colonists. These deadly agents nowlurk on almost every known planet, car-rying out their master’s orders and un-dermining the efforts of local authoritiesto build up their worlds.

8 SEPTEMBER 1982

The adventureWith the frontier as its background,

the action in a STAR FRONTIERS gamefocuses on exploring new worlds, dis-covering alien secrets or unearthing an-cient cultures. The rule book includesdetailed guidelines for creating adven-tures, alien planets and the plants, ani-mals, and intelligent creatures that liveon them.

Something the game does not containis rules for spaceship design or combat.Traveling on commercial starlines is cov-ered in detail, but no rules are given forplayer-owned ships or spaceship wea-pons. This (admittedly) very importantaspect of science fiction was left out be-cause there simply was not enough roomin the rule book for it. We didn’t want toinsert a weak set of starship rules, orraise the price of the first set by increas-ing the size of the rule book.

Instead, the starship rules will be pub-lished as a separate boxed game. Thiswill include rules for star ship design andconstruction, combat, character skillsrelated to starships, starship deck plans,rules for fleet combat and boarding ac-

Defeated in space, theSathar turned to terror-

ism. . . . deadly agentsnow lurk on almost every

known planet, carryingout their orders and un-dermining the efforts oflocal authorities to build

up their worlds.

tions, and a complete starship board-game that can be played with or withoutthe original STAR FRONTIERS set.

The long journeyDesign work on the game started in

the summer of 1979. Dave Cook andLawrence Schick, full-time designers forTSR Hobbies, were assigned to the pro-ject. Their goal was to create a wide-open science fiction role-playing gamewith a solid scientific base. TSR wanteda game that would satisfy fans of hard-core science fiction, and still be easy toplay. Dave and Lawrence started by de-signing a character-generation systemand simple rules for movement andcombat. Then they started playtesting,adding and revising.

The game grew and changed for twoyears, until it was finally submitted forreview in the summer of 1981. Duringthose two years, TSR Hobbies grew tre-mendously. The company had discover-ed that its games appealed to a muchbroader audience than wargamers andfantasy fans alone. D&D® and AD&D™games, for instance, were selling to peo-

ple who had never played a wargame or arole-playing game before. In order to tapthis huge market, TSR decided to re-structure the STAR FRONTIERS gameso it would appeal to people who hadnever seen this type of game.

This decision meant most of the gameneeded to be rewritten and reorganizedso persons with no gaming experiencecould buy it, take it home and play itwithout learning a lot of rules. The num-ber and types of dice in the game werechanged, the maps and counters wereadded, and many realistic but complexrules were sacrificed for playability.. Ingeneral, there was an overall softeningof the game’s “hard core.”

Another addition was a separate, in-troductory-level game written especiallyfor newcomers to role-playing games.By de-emphasizing role playing, it al-lows new gamers to start playing thesample adventures almost immediately,using simple character creation, move-ment and combat rules.

In order to meet the game’s scheduledrelease date, this revision work was splitup among different members of TSR’sproduct development staff. The projectwas completed in time for its scheduledrelease at the GEN CON® XV gameconvention.

The STAR FRONTIERS game in its fi-nal form retains the original conceptsdeveloped during the first two years ofplaytesting, but many of the mechanicsof play and specific rules are consider-ably different from the original versions.Although many TSR employees weresad to say goodbye to the original hard-core version, others predict the revisedSTAR FRONTIERS game will be verywell received.

Because of the space that would havebeen needed, a complete list of creditswas not published with the game. Forthose who are interested in the game’slong and fascinating history, the creditsare listed below.

Concepts and original design: DaveCook, Lawrence Schick

Revision: Mike Gray, Allen Hammack,Harold Johnson, David C. Sutherland III,Steve Winter

Crash on Volturnus: Mark Acres, TomMoldvay, Doug Niles

Art: Jeff Easley, Larry Elmore, Jim Hol-loway, Harry Quinn, Stephen D. Sullivan

Editing: Steve Winter, Troy DenningPlaytesters: Mark Acres, Dave Bullis,

Brad Cihla, Dave Cook, Helen Cook, JeffDee, Don Dexter, Mike Gray, E. GaryGygax, Luke Gygax, Allen Hammack,Kevin Hendryx, Jeff Herndon, ChrisHolmes, John Eric Holmes, Josie Irvine,Harold Johnson, Dave S. LaForce, FrankMentzer, Tom Moldvay, Will Niebling,Doug Niles, Erol Otus, Jon Pickens, Mi-chael Price, Paul Reiche III, Bill Renter,Evan Robinson, Lawrence Schick, Don-ald Snow, Stephen D. Sullivan, Phil Ta-terczynski, Jim Ward, Bill Willingham.

by Gary Gygax

©1982 E. Gary Gygax. All rights reserved.

The barbarian class (issue #63) was, as mentioned, only oneof several new classes being considered for inclusion in theexpansion volume for the ADVANCED D&D® game system.You, Loyal Readers, have a chance to input into this projectedwork, and I would be pleased very greatly if you would do so.The classes under consideration are listed below. Let me knowwhich you like best, which least. I will then work up each classfully and present them, in order of preference, in this column.This will be done prior to publication of the new book. If timepresses, perhaps the Understanding Editor will allow sufficientcolumn space to run two classes in one article. What follows is abrief explanation of each proposed new class. Again, your

THIEF — Mountebank: This sub-class of thief specializes indeception, sleight of hand, persuasion, and a bit of illusion.These factors, together with speed, are what the mountebankrelies upon. However, disguise and theatrics also provide valu-able tools of the trade to this class, so that one might neverknow one has been had by this class.

THIEF — Specialization, Acrobat: A normal thief, after attain-ing a medial level, can opt to continue as normal or become anacrobat. Although no further skills of the type which considersmanual dexterity would be gained, the thief-acrobat would gainskills in leaping, vaulting, tumbling, tightrope walking, etc.Such a thief-type would be the cat-burglar sort. The earlierspecialization takes place, the greater the acrobatic skills, asthis specialization would have an upper limit of skill. JESTER — Rob Kuntz, in his currently unpublished module,

commentspleasure!

will be received with

CLERIC — Mystic: This sub-class of clerics is concernedmore with prediction and detec-tion than are other sorts of cler-ics. All mystics are of Goodalignment, although they canbe chaotic, neutral, or lawfulwithin the Good alignment. Aswith other sorts of clerics, mys-tics would have seven levels ofspells, but most would be of thesort to divine or detect. Howev-er, some new spells, and somevery powerful upper-level spells,are planned.

FIGHTER — Cavalier: Thissub-class of fighter must be ofknightly or noble origin, so theclass type would be usable onlyin those campaigns which hadsocial systems of a sort approp-riate to this. This class allowsany alignment. It differs fromother types of fighters mainly inthat its members would havemore basic weapons, horse-manship, and possible organi-zational abilities to allow for

The Tower of Zaeen, has in-c luded a j es te r . A recen tDRAGON™ Magazine (issue #60)also included the jester as anNPC class. Because I have alsoconsidered the jester as an ac-tual class for the game, I havenot as yet read either descrip-tion. Jesters, as I envision them,can be of human, gnome, orhalfling race. (Elves could neverpermit themselves to be so de-based; dwarves are far too se-rious and just plain humorless.)Alignment is as desired by theplayer. A jester would have acombination of verbal, magical,and acrobatic skills which allowthe class to be viable eventhough there is no great power.Verbal skills would enable thecharacter to influence manycreatures toward kindliness,humor, forgetfulness, thought-ful consideration, irritation,anger, or even rage. Magicalskills would have to do withjokes and tricks — sort of a di-rected wand of wonder withsome magic-user spells and il-lusionist magic tossed in. Acro-batic skills would be mainly

more henchmen and followers. At its upper levels, the classwould also gain additional strength and constitution points dueto training and exposure to hardship.

tumbling and juggling, with some magic tossed in there as well.Level titles are: Wag, Punster, Masquer, Harlequin, Clown,Juggler, Buffoon, Fool, Joker, Jester. Powerful at its upperlevels. the class will be less than popular with fellow adventur-

MAGIC-USER — Savant: This sub-class of magic-user spe- ers, I suspect, so that jesters will frequently have enemies andcializes in knowledge, understanding, and arcane subjects. travel alone. . . .Thus, as do mystics, savants possess a fair range of detectionspells. Although they know many standard sorts of spells aswell, savants have many new magics in the nine levels of spellspossible for them to employ. Savants, can use spells commononly to clerics and druids, and at higher levels savants can readand employ scrolls of all sorts. Because of the scholarly aspects

THE GRAND DRUIDA study of the information pertaining to druids will reveal that

there must be something above the Great Druid, for each areaor land can have its own druid of this sort. Somewhere there is aGrand Druid. This druid has 3,000,001 or more experience

of this proposed class, elven and half-elven savants are envis- points, is 15th level, and is attended by 9 druids of special sortioned as being able to progress several levels higher than if theywere normal magic-users; i.e., 14th or even 16th for elves, 10th

having nothing to do with the hierarchy of any specific area orland. Thus, any character of Druid level may, in fact, journey to

or 12th for half-elves. Savants can be of any alignment. seek the Grand Druid and ask to serve him.

DRAGON 9

The Grand Druid knows 6 spells of each level and is also ableto cast up to six spell levels as one or more additional spells.Those who serve him are given three such additional spelllevels. Three Archdruids roam the world as messengers andagents of the Grand Druid. These individuals are drawn fromhis personal attendants who reach the level of Archdruid. Eachhas four additional spell levels.

PERSONALIZING CHARACTERSThe statistics of one character can be much like those of

another, especially so if they are members of the same class.However, name, alignment, deity, background development,secondary skills, height, weight, and equipment all allow forconsiderable differentiation. More important, as AD&D™ gamesare for role playing, the individuality the players create, orshould create, will make as many differences between charac-ters of the same class as there are between real people. Theelement of role playing must be stressed. Any player who doesnot create a special persona for his or her character is notparticipating in a role-playing game, but rather “roll playing”with dice. But, for whatever it’s worth, here are some choices forcomplexion, hair color, and eye color for characters. Playerswho have not already made all this up for themselves shoulduse these choices to inspire more active personification of theircharacters and more attention to role playing!

Complexion: black, dark brown, bronze, brown, copperybrown, golden brown, tan, ivory, dark yellow, yellow, pale yel-low, copper, brown-red, olive, ruddy, pink, fair, pale, white,grayish-white, gray.

Skin texture: flawless, fine, smooth, normal, coarse, verycoarse, pocked, leathery, seamed.

Hair color: black, blue-black, brown-black, dark gray, gray,pale gray, white, silver, golden blonde, blonde, yellow, paleblonde, honey blonde, blonde streaked (brown or red), red-blonde, copper red, orange-red, red, dark red, auburn, red-brown, light brown, brown, dark brown, salt & pepper (brown/black & gray), grizzled, gray streaked, white streaked.

Eye color: black, dark brown, brown, red-brown, yellow-brown, amber, golden, pale yellow, hazel, green, bright green,blue-green, gray-green, pale gray, gray, dark gray, blue-gray,pale blue, blue, bright blue, dark blue, pale violet, violet, deepviolet.

MORE ON BARBARIANSIn the course of putting the Barbarian sub-class of fighter

together, one highly important piece of information was omit-ted — rules concerning barbarians and creatures struck only bymagic weapons. I humbly apologize. Here it is:

Although barbarians do not employ magic weapons if theycan help it, their natural attack abilities make up for it. Just ascan monsters, barbarians are able to hit creatures otherwiseharmed only by magic weapons. Thus, at 4th level a barbariancan affect creatures which require a +1 or better weapon to hit

them; at 6th level barbarians can affect creatures which require+2 or better weapons to hit them; at 8th level they attack as ifthey had a +3 weapon with respect to their ability to affectcreatures otherwise hit only by +3 or better weapons; and at10th level, creatures affected only by +4 or better weapons canbe attacked successfully. At 12th level a barbarian can affect acreature harmed normally only by +5 or better weapons. De-spite having the ability to strike such creatures, barbarians inno way gain such a bonus “to hit” or inflict additional damagebecause of the power. (Cf. “Creatures Struck Only By MagicWeapons” in the Monster Manual.) Only barbarian fightercharacters have this ability, and it is not possible for any otherclass or sub-class of characters to possess this power.

LATE NEWSMost of you are not aware that soon I will retire from the

position of “sole authority” regarding the D&D® game system.Frank Mentzer has “volunteered” to assume a new trainee posi-tion where he will work directly with me.

That the Good Gentleman is talented need not be said. Thosereaders who belong to the RPGA™ network already know thatand have played his modules. Those unfamiliar with his workwill see it soon enough in the additions to the DUNGEONS &DRAGONS® game system. Frank began working with me inJuly. Sometime in September he should be joined by the re-nowned French designer, Francois Marcela-Froideval.

When the D&D game project is completed, Frank and Fran-cois will be joining me in putting the final touches on the pair ofnew volumes for the AD&D™ game system. That work, alongwith a few modules in both systems, should easily qualify themto speak with complete authority on either. The upshot will bemore game material, better work overall, and more informationpassed along by way of these pages. Please give Mr. Mentzerand M. Marcela-Froideval a hearty welcome!

BEWARE OF IMITATIONSAll of you are well aware of how many “knock-off” products

are around. They are obvious because without AD&D cam-paigns to latch onto, these cheap imitations would be unable tostand alone. I have seen one which contains spells of varioussorts, including some over 9th level. DMs are cautioned againstuse of any non-AD&D game spells of any sort. It is absolutelystupid to include any over 9th level, for the game has nothingwhich warrants so powerful a dweomer. Certainly, deities areemploying magic of a slightly higher level, but that is dealt within a manner which prevents game imbalance. Do yourself afavor and avoid all such fringe products. In the long run, yourplayers will thank you for it.

10 SEPTEMBER 1982

GREYHAWK’S WORLDNEWS, NOTES AND VIEWSOF THE GREYHAWK CAMPAIGN

EVENTS OF THEEASTERN ANDSOUTHERN FLANAESSBY ROB KUNTZ

©1982 E. Gary Gygax. All rights reserved.

A great sage of Keoland once said inconnection with the many rival powers inthe east: “Behold the sapping of strength,continuous and unabated, checked onlyby the ferocity of battle, and erstwhilevictories. Be aware that these powersnever cease turning over the old stone insearch of the golden nugget placed thereby those who didn’t care. Be it knownthat such odious men as these thatthwart men’s survival, these are con-vinced that such nuggets are as plentifulas the languages of Oerth. Be still, peo-ple, lest by your movement you attractthe attention of the “mad ones,” fornuggets may remain buried beneath anold stone, or in combination with othersbe used to adorn a conqueror’s breast asa necklace.”

This passage, based upon the politicaland military upheavals which seemed anunavoidable and recurring theme ofthose eastern powers, and especially theGreat Kingdom, came to light during atime of continued procrastination bymany of the major powers, and as quick-ly as it was once assimilated and thendismissed as unportentious, it has nowbeen re-enlivened by the many leadersof modern thought.

During CY 578 (late Needfest) a proc-lamation of war was issued against theGreat Kingdom and her satellites by theKingdom of Nyrond, the Prelacy of Al-mor, and their allies. This, in conjunctionwith the various military activities al-ready in motion, makes the southern andeastern portions of the Flanaess as busyas the marketplace at Rauxes, and themasterless men gather round as a packof famished wolves clusters near weak-ened prey.

Elsewhere, mysterious happeningsabound and the portents of war are in-creased. . . .

Spindrift SoundA minor naval action was fought here

during late summer as the merchants areabundant upon the sea lanes. A war ship

of undisclosed origin is said to have sha-dowed a group of three Duxchan mer-chant ships, the Meles, Gloful, and Ti-gress, which were bound from Ountsyenroute to Sulward with a load of grainand spices. Fortunately, these three ves-sels carried, divided between them, acompany of mercenary foot and an en-voy of his Lordship, one LieutenantSkould, their acting commander.

Before nightfall on that day the pirateship fell upon the Meles, which hadlagged behind, being laden with the ma-jority of the grain. A terrific boarding ac-tion took place; the captain of the Meles,Sir Rawthers, was killed in the fighting.Before the ship could be claimed by theaggressors, the Gloful came alongside,and with Skould and many handpickedmercenaries retook the Meles while driv-ing the pirates before them. The Tigress,which had been positioning herself forramming, did so. The pirates, hammeredand trapped, surrendered.

It was later found that this ship was ahired buccaneer, paid for by certain un-nameable noblemen of Rel Astra, andthat these nobles had been contributingheavily to the piratical raids which werefrequent and so well planned that neverpreviously had information concerningtheir nature been discovered.

It is known that Rel Astra has hadmany dealings with the Great Kingdomand its new Constable, the Lord of Men-trey, Spidasa. To have this informationconcerning Rel Astra makes the plotthicker than the Duxchans would like. Anaval and land expedition will possiblybe launched later next year, with the ex-press purpose of putting down the raidsalong the Aerdi Sea and in SpindriftSound. Until then, political pressure andthreats are expected to keep buzzing be-tween Sulward and Rel Astra. The Dux-chans are demanding recompense, whileRel Astra turns a deaf ear to concentrateon its commitment to the See of Medegia.

Spindrift IslesThough much removed from the main-

land, these isles have been often viewed

and discussed, with mysterious notionscontinually coming to mind. It is true thatsome mariners who pass these shoresnever return, and that those who set outto look for these souls share a similarfate. Recently a story has arisen amongstcertain merchants who ply the waters ofSpindrift Sound and visit the Isles aswell. The story, though received second-hand, is believed to be true:

A certain merchant of Medegia who,having been blown off course for manydays while sailing in his schooner, waswashed ashore with his most able body-guard, on land which they claimed laterto be Lendore Island. What this mer-chant and his companion claim to havewitnessed and heard told to them is verystrange indeed, as was their subsequentreturn to Pontylver via Sulward on a shipthey said was made of glass and pow-ered by the breath of gods not of Oerth.

In fact, they went through much. Afterhaving been washed ashore, they wereimmediately beset upon by a band ofkobolds. These kobolds were said todiffer from the usual, having grayisheyes and short, stub-like black fur remi-niscent of cropped porcupine quills.Thinking that their death was nigh, themen entreated the sea god in repentancefor their squandered lifetimes. As if inanswer, a man appeared in a cloud ofgreenish smoke. His presence had anadverse affect upon the kobolds, andthey dispersed. This man wasted no timein telling the travelers that he was anextension of the wizard Lendore, andthat it was he who had drawn the mer-chants’ ship to the island.

The wizard then led them to a cliffsideand, pointing inland, laid bare to them agreat spectacle. Off in the distance, nearthe middle span of the island and stretch-ing some three miles further into thenorth, was a city — a city of glass. Thismight not have been overly peculiar tothese men, for they had heard and seenmany strange and wondrous things intheir trafficking, except that this city wassuspended in the air, hovering magicallyat least a half-mile off the ground and

D R A G O N 7 7

GREYHAWKshining with the same greenish, vapor-like hue which embroiled the wizard’sdemeanor.

The wizard then recounted a tale fromancient times which said that this citywould be the last refuge of the inhabit-ants of this chain of islands once thecalamity struck. The aspect of Lendorepointed out that this calamity was near,and was coming in the form of an inva-sion of these islands by the Lordship ofthe Isles and their allies, certain mer-chant clans from Medegia. Both, he said,hoped to exploit the Spindrifts for out-ward bases and possible wealth that wasrumored to exist here.

The wizard then regained his compo-sure, having been engrossed in the sto-ry. Looking out upon the Aerdi Sea, hespoke indecipherable words, and withthis done summoned a ship of glass tothe shores of the island. The two story-tellers were then magically transportedacross the Aerdi back to Medegia viaSulward. With them went a message tothe Duxchans and the See of Medegia,Spidasa, as well as to the Sea Barons andthe free city of Rel Astra, who all havestrong interests in the Spindrifts.

The message states that if any attemptis made to invade the islands, therewould occur a most dreadful powerstruggle. Those “forces” involved wouldnot be limited to the defense of the Spin-drifts alone, and, as it was intimated,many of the attackers’ homelands wouldcome under a tremendous assault forthis breaching of territory and honor.

When the two “messengers” returnedto Pontylver they were detained by Spi-dasa’s guards and questioned thorough-ly. Though they had seen many won-ders, they had seen no army. Everythingseemed lifeless except for the koboldsand the apparition of the wizard. Werethe Olven folk present? “No!” said thesetwo, but those of grander station knewthat the Lords of Lo Reltarma wouldbless any undertakings for the defenseof their islands. The last piece of infor-mation regarding this subject is alsostrange, but not unexpected: The mer-chant and bodyguard were summonedto Mentrey under heavy guard, and tothis day their names and families are notknown, only this second-hand account.

Prelacy of AlmorThe prelate Anarkin hopes to have his

armies up to quality and number so as tobe able to deal with the threats that theGreat Kingdom and (especially) HerzogChelor are posing at this time.

Subsequently, the levy pool, whichstood at 7,000 months ago, has beensteadily increasing so by next year (CY579) at this time it should have reached arespectable 30,000+. As they stand onpaper, Almor’s armies are as follows:

12 SEPTEMBER 1982

Almor’s Field Army: (-50% but rising)Commander: Arch-Cleric AnarkinBase: Chathort

heavy cavalry 400medium cavalry 2,000light cavalry 4,000armored foot 1,500pole arm infantry 6,500light foot 8,000levies 30,000archers (mixed) 5,000

In addition to this force, the westernnobility has raised sizable regimentsbased at and around Oldred. These for-ces are primarily volunteers, with manypetty commanders and adventurer-typespresent. Still awaiting orders, these con-tingents are willing to be sent anywherewhere the fighting is thick, though it isthought that their primary objective willbe Scant along Relmor Bay.

Relmor Bay Fleet:Joint Command: Admiral Auriel Lexis

(Nyrondian), Count Stephen BulhartBase: Oldred

warships 13large galleys 8transports 57marines 1,000

(Nyrondian)light cavalry 700heavy foot 1,000light foot 2,500levies 3,700

Almor will await the coming of theNyrondian field army near Mithat beforeit attempts operations on its own, withthe hope that the Iron League (and espe-cially Sunndi) can hold out during thisinterim. When the two armies come with-in operating distance of each other, theAlmorian army’s aim will likely be tomove to Prymp and down the coast, driv-ing a wedge in Herzog Chelor’s backwhile Nyrond’s army moves up with thebulk of heavier forces to establish asmooth operating front, without supplyand communication problems.

The Kingdom of NyrondIn the not-so-distant past, Nyrond has

had to take upon her back the monetaryburden of her allies (the Iron League andAlmor) to supply mercenaries, arms andarmor, and foodstuffs to these areas.These supportive measures, which wereaimed at creating and maintaining abuffer between Nyrond and the degen-erating Great Kingdom, were frownedupon by the nobility of Nyrond, for taxesremained at an all-time high to continueto pay for this support. Now the samenobility which claimed “gouging” onDunstan’s part are convinced of Ivid’sattempted takeover everywhere, justwhen they had assumed that Chelor wascornered and could not launch morethan a punitive effort against the IronLeague.

Nyrond above all else has a flexiblefield army and fleet. Through its manysorties and missions adorning its glor-ious past, it has grown under the leader-ship of some of the best tacticians thisside of Keoland. Now directed by verycompetent strategists, among them KingDunstan himself, the Nyrondian force isformidable indeed. At the current time,Nyrond’s armies are divided into twocamps — not counting garrison unitsand certain mercenary bands which arestationed along the northern and west-ern borders, and those units currently atsea:

Nyrond’s armiesMain force:Commander: King DunstanSub-Commanders: Generals Garzenth

and BellordBase: Rel Mord (enroute to Mithat)

light cavalry 2,000medium cavalry 3,000heavy cavalry 5,000armored foot 8,000pole arm infantry 3,000light foot 1,500mercenary foot

(mixed) 1,000levies 9,000light archers 3,500

Secondary force:Commander: Earl HarhingBase: Innspa (enroute south)

heavy cavalry 2,000heavy foot 4,000light foot 3,000leviesfight archers

4,5002,000

The primary aim of these two forcesappears simple. Dunstan will move southalong the coast of Relmor Bay and crossthe Harp River, near Chathold, in sup-port of the main Almorian army, whichwill have started south upon the arrival ofDunstan’s advance guard at Mithat. Thesecondary force will proceed southalong the eastern bank of the Harp andengage any force attempting to attackthe king’s flank or rear. With an Almorianarmy threatening from Relmor Bay, andanother besetting Prymp, King Dunstanshould have little or no opposition on hisway toward taking the banks of the Grey-flood River by next month. With thismove comes the threat to Herzog Che-lor’s rear. Chelor will have to turn aboutto face Dunstan, thus alleviating thepressure on Sunndi, or be “run throughthe back.”

And to insure complete victory in thisundertaking, Dunstan has called uponthe aid of both the County and Duchy ofUrnst, thus securing a further allotmentof well trained elite footmen — in excessof 10,000 — who will be at the Relmord/Woodwych area within three months.

Keep trackof quality

Artisans do work of varying quality.Some of their work may be exceptionalin some way, but the normal AD&D™ me-lee rules offer no way of showing theeffect of this exceptional work. The fol-lowing is a system to distinguish be-tween the many levels of quality — goodand bad — in the manufacture of shields,armor, and weapons.

The majority of weapons, armor andshields bought from artisans will be ofgood quality. They will sell for the priceslisted in the Players Handbook, plus orminus 20%, in most cases. Some fewcraftsmen, about 20% of them, will beexceptionally good and have a high skilllevel. Conversely, about 10% (this per-centage is lower because work of poorquality will not last, and neither will thecraftsman) will produce work of lowquality.

ShieldsA good shield gives the wearer a be-

nefit of 1 on his or her armor class. Asstated in the rules, for example, chain isAC 5 while chain and shield is AC 4.Exceptional shields benefit armor classeven more than normal good shields, butnot to the extent of another +1 benefit.The best way to represent this extra im-provement is to make the blow to hit theshield at a selective minus. This is doneby saying that a particular number, whenrolled vs. this particular shield, will bereduced by 1. For example, a shieldmight be exceptional on a roll of 13, sothat whenever an opponent rolls a natu-ral 13 the DM will read it as a 12 instead.

This does not take into account a mag-ical bonus on the opponent’s weapon orany bonus the wielder might have to hitdue to exceptional strength. If such bo-nuses do apply, they are added in thenormal manner. For instance, if the op-ponent has a strength of 17 he is +1 to hitdue to strength. If his weapon is +1, thereis a second bonus. If he rolls a natural 13against the exceptional shield describedabove, the DM reads it as 12 + 1 + 1 = 14,instead of the usual 13 + 1 + 1 = 15. Notethat an adjusted 14 or 15 might not evenbe enough to hit the particular armorclass, or the armor class might be hit ononly a 10 or 11. Thus, the shield will onlyapply to 5% of the normal “to hit” proba-bilities. This particular shield will con-

vert a natural 13 to a 12 — no more andno less. If a natural 14 is rolled, it stays a14; if a natural 12 is rolled, it stays a 12.

Shields of good quality would thencost more and have a particular proper-ty. The standard “large shield” as per thePlayers Handbook is valued at 15 gp.Below is a table of exceptional shields,each valued at more than 15 gp becauseof its nature. If a dice roll is made togenerate a type of exceptional shield atrandom, this will indicate the highest-quality shield a particular armorer is ableto produce, and one of higher qualitycannot ever be made by that particularcraftsman.

Good quality shieldsDice No(s). Cost Extra daysroll

01—40reduced (gp) to make

1 3 18 141—60 14 20 161—70 15 23 171—75 16 27 176—78 17 32 279—80 18 40 281—82 19 50 283—84 13-14 60 385—86 14-15 70 387—88 15-16 80 389—90 16-17 90 391—92 17-18 100 4

93 18-19 110 594 13-15 125 695 14-16 140 796 15-17 160 897 16-18 180 998 17-19 200 1099 16-19 225 1100 15-19 250 12

Note: The “No(s). reduced” col-umn indicates the “to hit” die roll(s)reduced by 1 when rolled vs. theparticular shield; thus, a type “00”shield will diminish by 1 any natu-ral “to hit” die roll in the range of 15through 19.

The additional rule can be added thatonly exceptional shields of this sort canbe magical. If this is true, only one shieldmaker in 500 (remember that only 20%can make any type of exceptional shield)can make a shield that eventually couldbe magicked to +5 enchantment.

Poor-quality shields, or shields thatare damaged (if you play some rules that

take into account shield damage) wouldhave the opposite effect: for instance, ona “to hit” roll of 14 the die would be readas 15 instead. As above for high-qualityshields, other rolls would be unchanged,so a natural 13 stays a 13 and a natural 15stays a 15.

A table of poor shields would look likethis:

Poor quality shieldsDice No(s). Cost Days lessroll increased (gp) to make

01—40 14 15 041—60 15 15 061—70 16 15 071—80 17 15 081—85 18 15 086—90 15-16 15 ½91—93 16-17 15 ½94—95 17-18 15 ½

96 15-17 15 197 16-18 15 1

98—99 15-18 15 1½00 14-18 15 1½

Note: The “No(s). increased” col-umn indicates which “to hit” rollsare increased by one when rolledagainst the particular shield; thus,a type “00” poor quality shieldcauses any “to hit” roll against it inthe range of 14 through 18 to beincreased by 1. “Days less to make”is taken as a subtraction from theusual number of days an armorerneeds to make a normal shield.Note also that the price does notgo below 15 gp in any event; poorquality is not less expensive.

ArmorExceptional armor can be produced in

the same way as exceptional shields. Iwould limit this to metal types, and tomake life even easier let’s say that onlychain and plate can be exceptional. Thepercentages are different from those forshields: 15% of all armorers make high-quality armor, and just as many makebad armor. The other 70% produce nor-mal armor, chain costing 75 gp and be-ing made in 45 days and plate going for400 gp with a 90-day construction time.You can rule, using historical precedent,that not all armorers make plate. Thechart on the top of the following pagetakes into account that rule.

D R A G O N 7 3

Dice roll Armorer’s skills01—10 poor chain, no plate11—13 poor plate, no chain14—15 poor plate and chain16—50 average chain, no plate51—55 average chain, poor plate56—60 average chain and plate61—70 good chain, no plate71—80 good plate, no chain81—85 good chain, poor plate86—90 good plate, poor chain91—97 good chain, average plate98—00 good chain and plate

Mixing good quality chain and shieldcan get a little complicated. If the shieldconverts a roll of 15 to 14 and chain con-verts 18 to 17, then things are straight-forward. When the numbers overlap itbecomes more difficult: What happens ifboth chain and shield convert 16 to 15?In a case of exact and complete overlap-ping, consider half of the rolls at the nexthigher number as being converted, aswell as half of the rolls at the next lowernumber. Thus, a set of chain and shieldthat converts 16 to 15 would convert halfof the blows that score a natural 15 to 14and half of the blows that score a natural17 to 16. The procedure is as follows:Roll the dice; 15 comes up. Roll d%; on01-50 the 15 becomes 14, and on 51-00the 15 remains 15.

The overlap is of no additional benefitin cases where it is not an exact andcomplete overlap, such as when chainand shield both affect more than one “tohit” humber but the rolls they affect arenot all the same. Consider a set of chainthat converts 17 to 16 and 16 to 15, usedwith a shield that converts 16 to 15 and15 to 14. If 17 is rolled in such a case itbecomes 16; 16 becomes 15; and 15 be-comes 14. A natural 18 stays 18 and anatural 14 remains 14.

If an armorer produces other than av-erage chain or plate, use the appropriatetable (good chain, poor chain, goodplate, or poor plate) from those thatfollow.

Good quality chainDice No(s). Cost Extra daysroll

01—35reduced (gp) to make

16 80 336—60 17 90 561—80 18 100 881—90 19 120 1191—92 16-17 145 1493—94 17-18 175 1895—96 18-19 200 22

97 16-18 250 2898 17-19 285 3299 16-19 330 4000 15-19 400 45

Armor of types 91 to 96 can beenchanted to +2; types 97 and 98can be enchanted to +3; armor type99 can be enchanted to +4; andonly armor type 00 can be enchant-ed to +5. Armor types 01 to 90 canbe enchanted to +1.

14 SEPTEMBER 1982

Poor quality chainDice No(s). Cost Days lessroll increased (gp) to make

01—30 16 75 031—50 17 75 051—70 18 75 071—80 16-17 70 381—90 17-18 70 591—94 16-18 65 895—97 17-19 50 1298—99 16-19 40 16

00* 16-19 30 20* — Type 00 poor quality chain

causes 16 to convert to 18, and 17to convert to 19. All other increasesare +1 only.

Poor quality chain can never bemagical, not even cursed.

Good quality plateDice No(s). Cost Extra daysroll

0 1 - 4 0reduced (gp) to make

16 420 34 1 - 6 5 17 440 46 6 - 7 5 18 460 57 6 - 8 0 19 480 68 1 - 8 8 16-17 510 1089-91 17-18 540 139 1 - 9 2 18-19 570 169 3 - 9 4 16-18 620 209 5 - 9 6 17-19 670 259 7 - 9 8 16-19 685 309 9 - 0 0 15-19 700 40

Types 01 to 80 can be +1; types81-92 can be +2; types 93-96 can be+3; types 97-98 can be +4; andtypes 99-00 can be +5.

Poor quality plateD i c e No(s). Cost Days lessroll increased (gp) to make

01—20 13 400 021—40 14 400 041—50 15 400 051—55 16 400 056—60 17 400 061—64 18 400 065—66 19 400 067—75 13-14 380 576—80 15-16 360 1081—85 17-18 340 1586—90 18-19¹ 320 2091—95 13-152 300 2596—97 16-193 280 3098—00 13-193 250 45

1 — Rolls of 18 and 19 both con-vert to 20.

² — All nos. convert to the roll +2instead of +1.

³ — All nos. convert to the roll +2,maximum of 20.

All armor and shields of exceptionalquality — good or otherwise — must becustom-made. None can be bought “offthe rack.” One person’s armor or shieldwill not operate for someone else unlesshe is very near the same size, strengthand dexterity.

Plate armor, whether of exceptionalquality or not, is never brought off therack. It must be custom-made, or it will

not fit correctly. Improperly fitting platecan be rolled on the “poor quality plate”table to simulate the binding and tight fitin some location of the suit that wouldoccur.

The care of armor and shieldsArmor and shields must be kept in

good working condition. They need pol-ishing and cleaning. This is especiallytrue of a suit of armor caught in the rain,If a rain-soaked suit of armor is notcleaned and dried soon thereafter (with-in 13-24 hours), it will begin to rust andbecome tight in places. Quality armor(good or bad) will deteriorate one cate-gory for each time period (13-24 hours) itis allowed to go unmaintained. Deterior-ation can be reversed if attended topromptly, but it is permanent if the armoris allowed to slip two notches in quality.Deterioration occurs in steps of from 13to 24 hours apart.

For example, a set of type 93 goodquality chain (converts 18 to 17 and 17 to16) is worn by a figure who must marchthrough a rainstorm. He does not cleanor dry the armor thereafter. Roll d12 andadd 12; the result is 7 + 12 = 19 hours. Thesuit will deteriorate, at least temporarily,to type 91 (converts 17 to 16 and 16 to 15)if it is not cleaned and dried within that19 hours. If it is still not maintainedthrough another randomly determinedtime period (we’ll say 14 hours this time),it will deteriorate to type 81 (converts 19to 18). If it is now cleaned and dried, itcan never again act as type 93 armor, butcan be improved to type 91 at best.Further deterioration from type 81 wouldtake it to type 61, type 36, then type 01.Beyond that point, it would become or-dinary chain for 2-5 days, and wouldthen begin to slide down the “poor quali-ty chain” chart.

Thus, armor or shields (the systemworks the same way for shields) found ina treasure trove must be examined care-fully for rust and defects; if left untouchedand unpolished, it might deteriorate if itis not already in good working condition.Magic armor will not deteriorate, but itmight be discolored by tarnish and lightsurface rust.

Exceptional quality weaponsI do not pretend to be a weapons ex-

pert; however, I feel that some weapontypes cannot achieve the same degree ofhigh quality that others can; for instance,a sword can be better crafted than thebest cudgel in the world.

The following categories delineate thetypes of quality that can be achieved:

Group One: Can only be achieved byswords and scimitars. They can be up to+5 in enchantment and of the best quality.

Group Two: As high as maces can go.They can be up to +4 in enchantment andof the next best quality.

Group Three: The highest level ofquality for arrows, axes, crossbows,

daggers, hammers, spears, and tridents.They can be up to +3 in enchantment andof good quality.

Group Four: The highest category forcrossbow bolts, javelins, and slings.They can be up to +2 in enchantment andof good quality.

Group Five: The upper limit in qualityfor battle axes, bows, flails, militarypicks, and morning stars. They can be upto +1 in enchantment and of fair quality.

Group Six: Maximum quality for darts,scepters, halberds, lances, sling bullets,and quarter staffs. Optionally, they canbe enchanted up to +1 (even +2) and canbe of fair to good quality. They cannot berepaired well and may lose enchantmenteasily.

Group Seven: Highest quality possiblefor pole arms not specifically mentionedabove. They are very rarely magical andof only poor quality.

Group Eight: The lowest quality cate-gory, used for sling stones, clubs, andany makeshift weapon or substituteweapon such as a candlestick, pitchfork,hoe, ax handle, etc. They are never mag-ic and are of dubious quality.

To determine the quality level of a par-ticular artisan, refer to the appropriatetable(s) following. The procedure forsword smiths is different from that forother types of weapon makers (primarilybecause there are so many differentkinds of swords), and is listed first.

Sword smithsAll sword smiths can make daggers.

Each one will also have the skill to con-struct one or more of the five main typesof swords: short (S), broad (B), long (L),bastard (Ba), and two-handed (T). Rollpercentile dice for a particular artisanand refer to the list below to find whichtype(s) of sword that craftsman canconstruct:

01—10: S only.11—20: B only.21—30: L only.31—33: Ba only.34: T only.35—50: S and B.51—55: S and L.56—65: B and L.66—80: S, B, and L.81—90: B and T.91—96: L and T.97—98: B, L, and Ba.99: L and Ba.00: All types.

A general quality level is assigned toeach sword smith by another roll of per-centile dice, using the appropriate cate-gory from the following list:

Roll of 01-07: Quality Group Eight.The smith’s weapons will be poor. On aroll of 1 on d6, a weapon produced bythis smith will convert a certain “to hit”number downward, just as with shields

and armor. For such a weapon, roll per-centile dice again and consult this list:

01—60: 14 becomes 1361—80: 15 becomes 1481—90: 16 becomes 1591—97: 17 becomes 1698—99: 18 becomes 1700: 19 becomes 18

Roll of 08-20: Quality Group Seven.The smith’s weapons will be of generallypoor quality. One out of eight weaponswill be very good or very bad; roll d8, andif a “1” results, roll percentile dice andrefer to the following:

01—70: Roll again, using listgiven above for GroupEight weapons.

71—00: Roll on Group Sixlist given hereafter.

Roll of 21-75: All weapons producedby this smith are of acceptable quality(but not exceptional).

Roll of 76-85: One in four weaponsmade by this smith can be rolled on thelist for Group Six.

Roll of 86-93: One in three weaponscan be rolled on list for Group Five.

Roll of 94-95: One in two weapons canbe rolled on list for Group Four.

Roll of 96-97: Every weapon made bythis smith is rolled on list for GroupThree.

Roll of 98-99: Every weapon is rolledon list for Group Two.

Roll of 00: Every weapon is rolled onlist for Group One.

Weapon specifications by Quality GroupWhen a result refers to a Quality Group

of Six or higher (up to One), use theappropriate list in this section to deter-mine the “to hit” number(s) which areadjusted for that weapon. This sectionapplies for other types of weapons aswell as swords.

Group Six:01—30: 13 becomes 1431—55: 14 becomes 1556—74: 15 becomes 1675—90: 16 becomes 1791—97: 17 becomes 1898—00: 18 becomes 19

Group Five:01—90: Roll on Group Six list91—00: 19 becomes 20

Group Four:01—85: Roll on Group Five list86—92: 13/14 becomes 14/1593—96: 14/15 becomes 15/1697: 15/16 becomes 16/1798: 16/17 becomes 17/1899: 17/18 becomes 18/1900: 18/19 becomes 19/20

Group Three:01—70: Roll on Group Four list71—90: 13/14/15 becomes 14/15/1691—96: 14/15/16 becomes 15/16/1797—98: 15/16/17 becomes 16/17/1899: 16/17/18 becomes 17/18/1900: 17/18/19 becomes 18/19/20

Group Two:01—60: Roll on Group Three list

61—90: 13-16 becomes 14-1791—96: 14-17 becomes 15-1897—99: 15-18 becomes 16-1900: 16-19 becomes 17-20

Group One:01—60: Roll on Group Two list64—90: 13-17 becomes 14-1891—97: 14-18 becomes 15-1998—00: 15- 19 becomes 16-20

How to use these charts: The playersenter town and find a sword smith. Rollto determine what type(s) of swords hemakes; on a roll of 71, he makes short,broad and long swords. Then roll to findthe Quality Group his work belongs to.This is a one-time roll for each swordsmith, unless and until two years pass, inwhich case he might (40% chance) havemoved up one Quality Group in themeantime. On a roll of 94, this smith isdetermined to be able to produce GroupFour swords as his best current product.If Enchant an Item is available, such aweapon might be magicked up to +2 en-chantment. (Optional rules: only the bestweapon type in any Group can be multi-purpose. Only one of the top three wea-pon types in any Group can be alignedand considered an “exceptional sword.”)

You pay the man to make a longsword. He does this, and then you roll tosee what quality of weapon he actuallyproduced. On the average, every othersword this smith produces may qualifyfor Quality Group Four. This is one such

D R A G O N 15

16 SEPTEMBER 1982

sword. A roll on the Group Four listcomes up a 73. Another roll is taken, thistime on the Group Five list. This roll is an81, which means yet another roll, thistime on the Group Six list. This result is a34, which means the weapon the smithproduced will convert any natural 14 to a15 for the purpose of “to hit” determina-tion. The weapon could be magicked upto +1. It cannot, for example, be mag-icked to become +1/+2 vs. magic-usingand enchanted creatures for two rea-sons: First, it is not a possible +2 weapon;second, it is not within the top threetypes of a +1 weapon (17 to 18, 18 to 19,or 19 to 20) and thus cannot be “excep-tional” or aligned.

Other weapon typesThe Quality Group lists given above

are used for other weapon smiths be-sides swordmakers. First, determine thetype(s) of weapon(s) a particular smithcan make. Then find the Quality Grouplist to refer to and roll as given.

There are five main types of weaponsmiths besides swordmakers: bowyers.fletchers, crossbow smiths, those whomake hafted weapons, and those whomake castable pole arms and lances.

Bowyers will be able to make any typeof normal bow (not a crossbow), and30% of all such smiths also make arrowsas well.

Fletchers will be able to make anynormal type of arrow, and 5% of themalso make bows (like a bowyer) as well.

Crossbow smiths can construct lightor heavy crossbows, and 80% of themalso make bolts for those weapons.

Hafted weapon smiths will have var-ious talents. A few of them are able toconstruct all types of hafted weapons:axes (A), battle axes (B), maces (M),hammers (H), Morning stars (MS), flails(F), and pole arms (P) not designed forthrowing. Determine the talents of a par-ticular smith by rolling percentile diceand referring to this list:

01—10: A and B.11—25: M and H.26—40: MS and F.41—50: P only.51—65: M, H, and MS.66—80: M, H, and P.81—95: A, B, M, and H.96—00: All types.

Castable pole arm smiths and lancesmiths also have varying talents, withonly 10% of all such artisans able to con-struct all four types: spears (S), javelins(J), lances (L), or other pole arms (P):

01—40: S only.41—65: S and J.66—70: L only.71—90: S, J, and L.91—00: All types.

Quality Group determinationAll weapon types except for swords

are included on one of the columns inthe following table. To determine the

Quality Group into which a particularsmith’s work falls, roll percentile diceand cross-index the dice result with theweapon type in question. A different rollis made for each weapon type; thus, asmith might produce relatively high-qual-ity spears while at the same time makingthe worst javelins in the country.

Columns on the chart are keyed asfollows:

A = daggersB = macesC = arrows, axes, crossbows,

hammers, spears, tridentsD = crossbow bolts, javelins, slingsE = battle axes, bows, flails,

military picks, morning starsF = darts, halberds, lances,

sling bullets, quarter staves

Quality Group chartDice roll A B C D E F01—04 8 8 8 8 8 805—12 7 7 7 7 7 713—20 6 6 6 6 6 721—50 5 5 5 6 6 751—70 4 4 5 6 6 771—85 3 3 4 5 6 686—95 3 3 3 5 5 696—00 3 2 3 4 5 6

Estimating qualityOnce the Quality Group is known on a

weapon-by-weapon-available basis, thelists for each group will indicate how wellthe weapon actually turns out. The quali-ty of the final product can be told cor-rectly by the smith 60% of the time. Theother 40% of the time he will think it isone step above or below what it actuallyis.

Thus, if a sword smith who is capableof producing Group One weapons looksat his final work, he can come very closeto its exact quality determination. As anexample, say it rolls up (beginning onthe Group One list) as follows: 54 (moveto Group Two list); 67 (move to GroupThree list); 98 (he produced a weaponthat converts 15 to 16, 16 to 17, and 17 to18 — what is called a type 97 weapon onthe Group Three list). When the smithexamines the weapon, he will estimate itas being a type 91 (20% of the time), type97 (60% of the time) or type 99 (20% ofthe time). Naturally, the smith is not ob-ligated to disclose his appraisal.

Is the price right?Weapon making is an art that always

tries for a certain level of excellence butmay not achieve it; by contrast, an ar-morer knows what he will end up withand knows what to charge — exactly —for the final product. Starting with theprices given in the Players Handbook,here is a list of multipliers for the wea-pons, depending on the appraisal of theweaponsmith, that would constitute afair price for a certain weapon. As illus-trations of how to use this list, considerthe sword examples used earlier. The

first one (Group 6, type 31 long sword) isfairly priced at (2.5 x 15 gp) = 37.5 gp.The second one (Group 3, type 97 longsword) is worth (20 x 15) = 300 gp.

Group and type Price multiplier8 poor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.758 average . . . . . . . . . . . . full price7 poor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . 9 07 average. . . . . . . . . . . . full price7 good . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.56 type 01 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.06 type 31 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.56 type 56 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.06 type 75 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.56 type 91 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.06 type 98 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.55 type 91 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.04 type 86 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.04 type 93 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.04 type 97 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.04 type 98 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 . 04 type 99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0 . 04 type 00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 . 03 type 71 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.03 type 91 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.03 type 97 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0 . 03 type 99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 4 . 03 type 00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 8 . 02 type 61 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34.02 type 91 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40.02 type 97 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 7 . 02 type 00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 5 . 01 type 61 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70.01 type 91 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85.01 type 98 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100.0

D R A G O N 1 7

18 SEPTEMBER 1982

WEAPONS

WEAR OUT,

NOT SKILLS

A NEW PROFICIENCY SYSTEM

When players first outfit their AD&D™characters, choice of weapons is a majorconcern. However, since most startingcharacters can only afford a few wea-pons at most, determining proficiencypresents little problem. The player canoften simply designate the few weaponsthe character possesses as those inwhich the character is proficient. Theproficiency rules in the Players Hand-book are not too restrictive for a charac-ter’s early career.

But later, when purchases, theft, andtreasure acquisition add to the charac-ter’s equipment, the question of how todeal with weapon proficiency is likely toarise.

This article presents one possible sys-tem for the DM who wishes to regulatecharacter weapon usage. It is assumedthat characters, especially fighters, willwish to acquire new weapon skills, and

that this requires training and practice,just as magic-users must study to learnnew spells.

Weapon skills are divided, for learningpurposes, into four skill categories.Three of the categories consist of groupsof weapons which require similar skillsto use effectively, while the fourth con-sists of weapons requiring special tacti-cal skills. The skill categories are subdi-vided into groups, each encompassingone or more specific skills. The catego-ries of weapon skill are: melee weapons,hurled weapons, projectile weapons, andspecial weapons.

Melee weaponsMelee weapons are defined as all wea-

pons which can only be employed if thewielder keeps a continual hold on theweapon. They are basically extensionsof the user’s arms, providing increased

B Y C H R I S T O P H E R M . T O W N S E N DD R A G O N 1 9

length, either for longer reach or greaterleverage, and higher destructive poten-tial through greater mass or increasedpenetrating power. Melee-weapon skillsdivide into three groups: blade weapons,bludgeon weapons, and pole weapons.

Blade weapons have an edged blade,usually wielded as a cutting or slashinginstrument, but sometimes used as ashort piercing or stabbing implement.The blade usually comprises most of theweapon’s length, the handle being rela-tively short. Although larger blade wea-pons have substantial mass, and thusconsiderable impact power, it is the useof a sharp edge to increase penetrationwhich sets this group apart from others.The specific skills within the blade-wea-pon group are these:

1. Knives — Any weapon with an edgedblade less than 20 inches in length fallsinto this group, including edged knives(used for slashing) and daggers (usuallya stabbing weapon).

2. Short Swords — Included in thisgroup are all blade weapons with lengthsof 21 to 40 inches, such as the shortsword, scimitar, cutlass, and falchion.

3. Long Swords —This group consistsof blade weapons with lengths over 40inches that are still able to be wieldedwith one hand/arm. Among these are thebroad sword, long sword, and bastardsword (used one-handed).

4. Two-Handed Swords — Althoughthe size of these weapons is the same asthe previous group, their usage is suffi-ciently different to merit their classifica-tion as a separate skill. The two-handedsword and bastard sword (used two-handed) fall into this category.

Bludgeon weapons are the perhapsthe simplest of weapons in concept: es-sentially, nothing more than extensionsof the fist. Their effectiveness derivesfrom the increased force of impact pro-vided by both greater leverage and high-er mass than possible with a natural blowwith the fist. Unlike blade weapons, thehandle of a bludgeon weapon, whichprovides leverage, represents most ofthe weapon length. Mass is provided bythe head, which may be in any of a varie-ty of configurations. Some bludgeonsuse edged heads to increase penetra-tion, but the weapon group remains or-iented towards impact force. The skillswithin this group are these:

1. Small Axes — These weapons focusthe force of a blow onto a sharp edge onthe weapon head. The head is, therefore,directional, although the axe may beone-or two-edged. Included in this skillare the hand axe, hatchet, and any one-handed axe of less than 30 inches inlength.

2. Large Axes — Essentially similar to

the preceding class, but more than 30inches in length. Examples are the bat-tleaxe, great axe, and bardiche.

3. Hammers — The force of swingingthese weapons is focused onto a specificunedged portion of the weapon head.Therefore, like axes, these have a direc-tional head. The hammer, lucern ham-mer, and pick fall into this skill group.

4. Flails — These weapons have headsattached to the handle by a flexible con-nection, usually a chain. Thus, thewielder must calculate not only the pathof the handle, but the trajectory themovement of the handle will impart tothe head of the weapon. Some flails haveseveral heads; others, such as the grainflail, have long handles and must bewielded two-handed.

5. Clubs — The simplest of bludgeons,these have a handle and a rigidly at-tached, omnidirectional head. Within thisgroup are the mace, staff, club, andmorning star.

Pole weapons differ from other meleeweapons in that they are thrust ratherthan swung at an opponent. They uselength to provide greater reach, ratherthan for increased leverage as withblades and bludgeons, and gain theirpenetrative power by piercing ratherthan cutting or slashing. In theory, anunshod staff can be used this way, butwithout a piercing head it will have little

20 SEPTEMBER 1982

penetration, and so almost invariably apole weapon will have a pointed head.Within this group are the following spe-cific skills:

1. Short Pole Arms — This type in-cludes any piercing pole weapon under8 feet in length, such as a spear, javelin,or trident.

2. Long Pole Arms — Identical to shortpole arms, excepting a length of 8 feet ormore, this category covers pikes, glaives,and lances.

3. Composite Pole Arms — Theseweapons have a more complex headthan those listed above. While retainingsome piercing capability, they can beused as swung impact weapons, similarto certain extremely long bludgeons.Halberds, bills, and the like fall into thiscategory.

Hurled weaponsThis group is comprised of weapons

designed to do damage when thrown atan opponent. Some of them can also beused as melee (hand-held) weapons, butthe use of a device as a melee weapon isa separate skill from using the same de-vice as a hurled weapon. Certain acces-sories, such as the spear thrower, can beused to extend the range and power ofweapons cast, but do not alter the essen-tial act of throwing, and so do not qualifyas a separate skill. Hurled weapons skills

are divided into two types:

Tumbling weapons rotate end overend when hurled: They usually requirecareful balancing and range estimationso the head or edge, rather than the han-dle, will strike the target. Within thisgroup are the following specific skills:

1. Throwing Knives — Any weaponmeeting the qualifications for meleeblade weapons listed under knives maybe thrown. However, to avoid the non-proficiency penalty, the knife or daggermust be specially balanced and wouldtherefore be relatively expensive.

2. Throwing Axes — The weapons de-fined as small axes under melee blud-geon weapons may all be hurled.

3. Hammers — Weapons listed in thehammer skill in the melee bludgeongroup may be hurled if the weaponlength does not exceed 30 inches. If theDM desires, clubs (such as the mace)which meet the same length limitationmay be included in this skill.

Streamlined weapons do not changeorientation relative to the target oncethrown, or else the orientation does notaffect the result. Most have a pointedhead to increase their penetrating pow-er. In general, they have greater effectiverange than tumbling weapons.

1. Darts — This skill is self-explanatory;it covers thrown darts of all sizes.

No skill group is provided for grenade-type hurled weapons; it is assumed thatany character has the wherewithal tothrow a rock or a bottle with some accu-racy over short distances. If the DM feelsit necessary to include such objects asweapons in which proficiency must begained, they could be added to thestreamlined weapons group.

Weapons in this class project a missiletowards a target by means of some me-chanical device. While the missiles usu-ally resemble small hurled weapons, theuse of a device, rather than the caster’sarm, as the projector sets this classapart. Specific skills in this category areas follows:

Missile weapons

1. Self Bows — The short bow, longbow, horse bow, and composite bow areall in the group of self bows. While allthese are used similarly in combat, theconstruction and care of individual wea-pon types may differ, so the DM may

3. Spinning Weapons — These wea-pons are basically circular and revolverapidly when thrown. The discus is theclassic example.

2. Throwing Spears — The weaponsclassified as short pole arms within themelee weapon category may be thrown.These include javelins, spears, and thelike.

D R A G O N 2 7

wish to add such factors as maintenanceskill and weapon failure.

2. Crossbows — These are bows which(unlike self bows), once drawn — eitherby man or machine — remain cockedand ready without further effort on thepart of the man or machine. The path ofthe projectile to be released is aimeddown the body of the weapon itself, andthe missile is generally released bymeans of a mechanical trigger. Light andheavy crossbows of all descriptions areincluded in this group.

3. Slings — These are elastic tethersused to accelerate missiles by centrifu-gal force, to then be projected towardthe target when the tether is released.Some slings are mounted on staff-likehandles for additional range and power,and these are also in this group.

Special skillsSpecial skills do not cover the use of

any particular weapons, but rather theability of a weapon wielder to operateeffectively in unusual situations. Skillwith some appropriate weapon is there-fore assumed in the skills of this category.

Formation skill is represented in thefunctioning of a body of combatants to-gether in a coordinated manner. Thisgroup of skills is one of the most difficultto adjudicate; considerable discretion isrequired on the part of the DM. Forma-

tions skills can be divided into two skilltypes, as follows:

1. Linear Formations — These aremade up of one or more lines of combat-ants all facing in one direction. Severallines can be arranged in ranks one be-hind the other, although for game pur-poses no more than three ranks shouldbe permitted to fight simultaneously.

2. Block Formations — In this type offormation fighting, the cooperating com-batants face in different directions, so ablock formation can engage opponentsattacking from several sides. Squaresand triangles are commonly used blockformations.

Formation fighting usually involveslarge numbers of combatants, and somight rarely if ever come up in actualplay. The DM must judge whether an ac-tion undertaken by a group of charactersrequires proficiency in this skill. Twofighters standing back-to-back fendingoff attacks would require very little coor-dination, but if these same fighters wishto rapidly switch positions, some skill information fighting might be necessary.Additionally, since formation fightingrequires concerted action by several in-dividuals, the DM must assure that someadvance planning takes place. The factthat three characters all have skill in for-mation fighting does not mean they caninstantly spring into a rotating triangleupon the leader’s command. The players

must at least discuss the formation, set-tle on signals for communication in theheat of battle, and should probably settime aside for practicing the formation.

Mounted skill is a separate special skillfor the simple reason that using a wea-pon with both feet firmly planted on theground is quite different from using thatsame weapon while astride a chargingmount. Even possessing skill with aweapon normally used on horseback,such as a horseman’s mace or a heavylance, does not mean the wielder has theskill to actually use it from the saddle.The two skills in this group are these:

1. Shock Fighting — Also called chargefighting, this skill covers the use of a polearm, usually a lance or spear, while on acharging mount The rider holds theweapon rather rigidly, with virtually all ofthe thrusting motion being imparted bythe charge of the horse. Sometimes aspear can also be used overhand, in amanner similar to thrusting when onfoot. The DM should consider the situa-tion and judge whether an intended ac-tion requires this skill.

2. Melee Fighting — Once a horse andrider complete a charge, the rider usesthis skill in combat. The use of blade andbludgeon melee weapons, in much thesame way as when the wielder is on foot,is customary in such circumstances.

Fighting on or from horseback is so

22 SEPTEMBER 1982

difficult, requiring long training to attainreal mastery, that the consequences forthe untrained character who attempts itshould be severe. In addition to the usualnon-proficiency penalty, the DM shouldallow a possibility that the character willlose his balance, drop a weapon, or evenfall from his mount. A character mightalso handle his horse improperly incombat, wrenching the mount to a newpath so quickly that it rears or stumbles.

Missile specialty defines an increasedability to use a missile weapon accurate-ly in difficult situations. The four sepa-rate skills in this group are these:

1. Ranged Shooting — This is simplythe ability to shoot with increased accu-racy at long range. It affects archeryfrom self bows only, since crossbowbolts and sling missiles lose accuracyrapidly with increasing range. The “tohit” die modifications of a missile-wea-pon wielder with this skill are reduced to-1 at medium range and -4 at long range.

2. Long Ranged Shooting — A furtherextension of ranged shooting, this skillapplies only to long or large compositebows and requires prior acquisition ofranged shooting skill as described above.The “to hit” die modifications of a missile-weapon wielder with this skill are re-duced to 0 at medium range and -2 atlong range.

3. Indirect Shooting — A character

with this skill is proficient in shooting at atarget when an obstacle or obstaclesblock the direct line of sight.

This should not be construed to meanthat the shooter’s view of the target iscompletely blocked, as might be thecase with modern artillery. Rather, theshooter arcs his missiles over interven-ing terrain or bodies at his target. Evenwith this skill, there should be negativedie modifications attached to the attemptto account for the size of the target, thedegree to which the archer’s vision isobscured, and the height of the arc re-quired. Possessing this skill exempts thearcher from the additional negative ef-fects of non-proficiency.

More even than formation fighting,this skill will usually apply only to masscombat situations. The DM must be rea-sonable in application; a six-foot-tallcrossbowman standing a pace behindhis halfling cohort can shoot over thehalfling’s head without this skill. If eitherthe archer or the target is elevated sothat direct-line shooting is possible, anyobstructions below the line of sight areirrelevant.

4. Mounted Shooting — Shooting fromhorseback is included in this class, as itrequires a somewhat different techniquethan mounted fighting. Only small bowssuch as the short bow, the small compo-site bow, and the light crossbow can beused with effectiveness from a mount.

Acquiring weapon proficiency“Newborn” characters begin with some

weapon skills, the maximum numberdepending on the character’s class. Al-though it is assumed that the characterhad to undergo training to qualify for hisor her chosen class or classes, for gameplaying purposes there is no specificlearning process for acquiring proficien-cy in these initial weapons, and the char-acter can choose proficiency with wea-pons he does not yet possess. A charac-ter could acquire a weapon without ac-quiring proficiency in it, although therewould usually be little point in buying ortrading for such an item.

In this variant system for weapon-proficiency determination, a player neednot immediately specify all the initialweapon proficiencies to which his or hercharacter are entitled; a fighter mightpick only three weapons of proficiencyat the start of his or her adventuring ca-reer and hold one choice in reserve untila new weapon is acquired. However, anyweapon skills not chosen during the in-itial character generation must be ac-quired in the same manner new skills arelearned as characters become eligible torise in experience levels. The differenceis that the character may enter the learn-ing process at any time if a choice hasbeen withheld, without having to wait toattain a higher level.

When a character wishes to acquire

D R A G O N 2 3

proficiency with a new weapon, he mustenter a training period. During this time,the character can not undertake anyother strenuous or time-consuming ac-tivity, especially adventuring. The lengthof game time needed to become profi-cient with a weapon (and any additionalrequirements) varies with the similaritybetween the new weapon and weaponswith which the character is alreadyproficient.

If a character wishes to become profi-cient with a certain weapon and he orshe is already proficient with anotherweapon of the same skill, the charactermust train for two weeks of game time—-one week if a tutor is available. Forexample, a character proficient with along sword may acquire proficiency witha broad sword in one or two weeks, sinceboth weapons are in the long swordsskill.

If a character wishes to become profi-cient with a weapon which is not in thesame skill as any weapon already known,but which is in the same group as a pre-viously held skill, the character musttrain for four weeks (two weeks with atutor). For example, the character de-scribed above now wants to learn to usea dagger, which falls under this situationsince that weapon is not in the longsword skill, but is within the blade meleeweapons group.

If a character wishes to learn a weapon

in a different group from all previouslyheld skills, but in the same category, thetraining period is six weeks, and a tutor ismandatory. In this situation, our hard-working fighter can pick up proficiencywith a mace, not a blade melee weaponbut still in the melee weapons category.

To learn a skill which is in a differentcategory from all previously held skillsrequires eight weeks of training, andagain a tutor is mandatory. The studiousfighter in our example gets tired of bash-ing heads and could learn to shoot acrossbow, from the missile weaponscategory, by spending the requisite timeand paying the tutor’s fee.

Proficiency in the special skills cate-gory is handled differently. Only mem-bers of the fighter class or one of itssub-classes may ever acquire a specialskill. A character may choose only onespecial skill among his or her initial pro-ficiency choices, and thereafter may onlyacquire one additional special skill withevery third experience level gained,starting at third level; i.e. one at thirdlevel, another at sixth, another at ninth,and so forth. However, special skills ac-quired after the initial weapon skills arechosen do not count against the numberof allowed weapons; they are allowedover and above the limits on proficiencyas spelled out in the Players Handbook.

Acquiring a special skill from the samegroup as a previously held special skill

requires eight weeks of training. Learn-ing a special skill in a new group requirestwelve weeks of training, and in bothcases a tutor is mandatory.

Weapons of the same skill type — notthe same skill group — are generally verysimilar in their method of usage. To ac-count for this, a character may use aweapon with which he is not proficient,but which is of the same skill type as onewith which he is proficient, at a penalty“to hit” of 1 less than the normal non-proficiency penalty. For example, ourfighter, possessing all the weapon skillspreviously attributed to him, would beable to use a bastard sword one-handedat a penalty of -1 rather than -2, since heis proficient with a long sword already.

Training always requires appropriateequipment, including the possession oravailability of an example of the weaponto be learned. Special skills may requireadditional equipment; it is obviously dif-ficult to train in ‘mounted fighting with-out a mount. A tutor, if employed, mustbe at least equal to the student in fightingability and must, of course, be proficientin the skill to be taught. A reasonable fee(determined by the DM) must be paid tothe tutor. The DM should be especiallycareful to assure that reasonable recom-pense is offered when both the studentand tutor are player characters.

24 SEPTEMBER 1982

FEATURED

CREATURESOFFICIAL AD&D™ MONSTERS FOR YOUR CAMPAIGN

by Gary Gygax

©1982 E. Gary Gygax. All rights reserved.

We’re on a roll now, Gentle Readers.Although the new creatures featuredhere are not as powerful as the Planetarsand Solars of last issue, the Baku andPhoenix are no mean protagonists forGood. Taken as a group, these cham-pions of weal and right will certainly bal-ance any possible tendency towards Evil

BakuFREQUENCY: Rare (Very rare)NO. APPEARING: 1 (2-5)ARMOR CLASS: -2MOVE: 21” HIT DICE: 12 + 12% IN LAIR: NilTREASURE TYPE: Nil (see below)NO. OF ATTACKS: 3DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3-18/2-12/2-12SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 20%INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional - GeniusALIGNMENT: Neutral goodSIZE: L (9’ tall at shoulder)PSIONIC ABILITY: 180 + 2-24

Attack/Defense Modes: BE/FGILEVEL/X.P. VALUE: IX / 4,900 + 18 / h.p.

A baku is seldom seen in the wild, formost move invisibly in the communitiesof man. On the Prime Material plane,Baku prefer dwelling in semi-tropicalforests, and there groups will sometimesbe encountered. Baku hate evil and willsubordinate their usual timid and peace-loving nature to combat malicious mon-sters. In this aspect, they secretly dwellamongst and serve the interests of hu-mankind. Their true home is the UpperOuter Planes of Neutral Good.

Despite its size and bulk, a baku canmove rapidly. It attacks by means of agoring butt and two stomping attackswith the forelegs, the latter possible only

brought about by the inclusion of somany monsters from the Lower OuterPlanes without inclusion of their oppo-site numbers from above. Next time we’lldeal with some of the more mundanemonsters, of the sort usually encoun-tered by adventurers in the dank pas-sageways of a foreboding dungeon.

against opponents of man-size or under6 feet in height (if four-legged, etc.). Abaku can use simple devices, such asweapons or wands, in its short, prehen-sile trunk, so one will often have somemagic weapon or device when attacking.

Baku have the power to become invis-ible at will and to remain thus until someaction breaks the dweomer. Baku canbecome ethereal and travel in this mode.They can also travel astrally.

Baku possess the following psionicpowers: Animal Telepathy (12th level ofmastery), Body Control (6th), BodyEquilibrium, Cell Adjustment (12th; asfighter), Detection of Good/Evil (12th),Reduction (12th), and Shape Alteration.

The trumpeting roar of a baku causesall evil-natured creatures within a 4” ra-dius to take 1-8 points of damage andmake a saving throw vs. paralyzation orflee in panic as if affected by a fear spellfrom a 12th level magic-user. Baku canroar thus but once every four meleerounds.

Description: Baku have elephant-likeheads with a trunk of only 4’ or so inlength. A pair of upward-thrusting tusksjut from the nearer portion of the lowerjaw, curving slightly backward. The fore-legs are stout and rhinoceros-like, whilethe rear legs are rather leonine.The body is draconian, terminating in ashort tail. The back is scaled in hornyplatelets.

D R A G O N 2 5

Phoenix

The phoenix, so rarely seen on thePrime Material plane, is native to theUpper Outer Planes of Elysium. Ofcourse, the phoenix is quite capable ofdwelling in nearly any climate or eventhe void, since cold, heat, and like condi-tions do not harm the creature. However,a phoenix prefers beauty and sylvanpeace, so it will typically be found only insuch places on the Prime Material Plane.Unfortunately, the feathers of the phoe-nix command an average of 50 g.p. each;its gem-like beak, talons, and eyes willgo for a hundred times that, and its bodyis prized by alchemists seeking to makecertain potions. Thus, an already rarecreature is rarer still.

A phoenix in flight attacks with both ofits diamond-hard talons. When on theground it has but a single attack with itslong, sharp beak. However, being bothintelligent and magical, a phoenix usual-

FREQUENCY: Very rareNO. APPEARING: 1 (1-4)ARMOR CLASS: -3MOVE: 6”/39”HIT DICE: 20% IN LAIR: NilTREASURE TYPE: See belowNO. OF ATTACKS: 1 or 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-12 or 1-8/1-8SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 50%INTELLIGENCE: GeniusALIGNMENT: Neutral goodSIZE: MPSIONIC ABILITY: See below

Attack/Defense Modes: See belowLEVEL/X.P. VALUE: X/ 12,800+ 30/ h.p.

ly opts for more effective measures ofattack and defense.

The piercing whistle of a phoenix ena-bles it to act first in melee, since oppo-nents within a 30’ radius are so affectedby the sound as to give the phoenix a +3advantage on its initiative die. With thisadvantage, the creature can use any ofthe following spell-like powers, one at atime, one per melee round, at 20th level:

Affect normal fires, Audible glamer,Blink, Blindness, Blur, Call woodlandbeings (1/day), Control temperature, 10’r., Continual light, Color spray (3/day),Dancing lights, Duo-dimension (1/day),Find the path (1/day), Find traps, Firecharm, Fire quench (1/day), Fire seeds(1/day; see paragraph below regardingdefense), Fire shield, Fire storm (1/day;see below), Heat metal (3/day), improvedinvisibility, Incendiary cloud (1/week;see below), Misdirection, Neutralize poi-son (1/day), Polymorph self (3/day),Produce fire, Pyrotechnics, Reincarnate(1/day), Remove curse, Remove fear (10’r.), Snake charm, Veil (1/day), and Wallof fire (1/day).

Additionally, the dance of a phoenixacts as a double-strength exorcise (40thlevel) spell and is effective against all butthe greatest of evil magics— such as thatof an artifact or relic. The phoenix needsonly to spread its wings and voice a callto dispel illusion or dispel magic.

A phoenix automatically detects evil,detects charms, and detects magic. Itradiates a 10’ radius protection from evil.The creature can become ethereal andtravel astrally or ethereally. It can be hitonly by +3 or better weapons.

The phoenix can never be surprised. it

has infravision to 120’ and double nor-mal ultravision. A touch of its wing isequal to a cure light wounds spell, withtwo touches possible for any given indi-vidual per day from the same phoenix.Similarly, a touch of the bird’s combgives an effect equal to cure disease.

When hard pressed, the phoenix isable to cause spilled droplets of its ownblood to act as fire seeds of the hollyberry type, one being created for everyfive points of damage taken by the crea-ture. In extremis, the phoenix creates acombination fire storm (of 2” high x 5”wide x 8” deep) and incendiary cloud,even if it has already used these powerspreviously. The result is a twice normalstrength (40th level) effect with respectto both spell-like powers — which termi-nates the adult phoenix and leaves agem-like egg behind. From this egg anew phoenix bird will arise in 20 days.

In addition to their own language,phoenix can speak with all avians. Theyotherwise communicate by limited tele-pathy or by means of empathy and tel-empathy of a limited sort.

The phoenix can neither attack nor beattacked by psionic means. The crea-tures possess the following disciplines:

Cell Adjustment (as cleric; 1/day, 20thlevel of mastery), Energy Control (3/day),Molecular Agitation (3/day, 20th level),Probability Travel (1/week, 10th level).

Description: A phoenix appears sim-ilar to a peacock, although it is far largerand its beak is longer in proportion. Theplumage includes bright violet, scarlet,crimson and flame orange areas. Beakand claws are of blue violet. Eyes are adeep, glowing ruby color.

The feathers of thephoenix command anaverage of 50 g.p. each; itsgem-like beak, talons,and eyes will go for ahundred times that, andits body is prized byalchemists seeking tomake certain potions.Thus, an already rarecreature is rarer still. . . .

26 SEPTEMBER 1982

Filling inthe tintsof thecolor wheel

In the section on dragons in theAD&D™ Monster Manual, there are co-lors not mentioned that could be those ofadditional evil dragons. Consider the“color wheel” of primary and secondarypigments known to all painters:

The three primary colors are red, blue,and yellow. Pairs of these colors can becombined to form the three secondarycolors, purple (red + blue), green (blue +yellow), and orange (yellow + red). Ex-cluding black and white dragons (theformer a mixture of every pigment, thelatter the absence of any pigment), onlythree types of dragons whose scaleshave pigments of the color wheel are

mentioned in the Monster Manual: red,blue, and green. They, and the threemissing colors (purple, orange, and yel-low) together form the main part of thechromatic dragon overspecies.

The origin of dragons is a subject inwhich can be found conflicting state-ments. According to the Monster Manu-al, Tiamat “spawns all of evil dragon-kind.” Yet, dragons can be found in mat-ed pairs of the same color, with youngand eggs. Therefore, it seems that drag-ons can come from two sources: fromTiamat, or from others of their kind.

Why not a third source? In the ancientpast, the secondary-color dragons could

byRichard

AlanLloyd

have been the product of matings be-tween two different primary-color drag-ons. Most of these matings would likelybe the result of wizards’ experimentssince dragons, being intelligent, wouldprobably see only their own red, blue, oryellow species as beautiful or handsome.Nearly all such matings would produceno eggs, or unhatchable eggs, due togenetic problems. However, certain pair-ings together with sorcerous potionsand spells would result in crossbreedsthat were not only viable but able tobreed true with each other, thus startingthe secondary-pigment branches of thedragon overspecies.

D R A G O N 2 7

According to the color-wheel theory,the green dragon’s parents many gener-ations ago were blue and yellow drag-ons. The blue dragon is well document-ed; despite being rare, it is abundantenough to have been seen by villagersand adventurers alike. Yellow dragons,however, are very rare (or perhaps non-existent) on the continent where mostAD&D adventures take place; few, if any,have ever been seen.

Since no yellow dragon has been cap-tured locally for study, the characteris-tics of yellow dragons have been de-duced by sages asking, “If a green drag-on is the product of a blue and a yellowdragon, then what kind of dragon, matedwith a blue one, could produce a greendragon?” A green dragon has the samearmor class as a blue, so the yellow’s ACwould be the same or only slightly better.A yellow dragon would be much smallerthan a blue, however, since a greendragon is a full six feet shorter than theblue parent.

In a similar deductive fashion, the in-telligence, magic-using capability, and

28 SEPTEMBER 1982

other attributes of the yellow dragonhave been narrowed down to a set oflikely statistics:

Yellow DragonFREQUENCY: Very rareNO. APPEARING: 1-5ARMOR CLASS: 1MOVE: 9”/24”HIT DICE: 6-8% IN LAIR: 30%TREASURE TYPE: HNO. OF ATTACKS: 3DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-6/1-6/2-16SPECIAL ATTACKS: Breath weapon

and possible magic useSPECIAL DEFENSES: NilMAGIC RESISTANCE: StandardINTELLIGENCE: AverageALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: L (30’ long)PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil

Attack/Defense Modes: NilCHANCE OF:

Speaking: 30%Magic Use: 10%Sleeping: 50%

If a victim makes a saving throw vs.breath weapon, this means the victim

Yellow dragons tend to lair in seashorecave complexes or narrow gorges, or(less often) near high-salinity pools ininland salt flats created by long-driedoceans. Their coloring blends in with theyellows and whites of sun-bleached,salt-encrusted rock and sand.

A yellow dragon will either attack withits claw/claw/bite routine or by its breathweapon — a cone of sodium chloride(salt) crystals 7” long and 2” wide at itsbase. The salt particles — byproducts ofthe creature’s diet — spray over anyonein its area of effect.

was in the act of turning aside and/ortrying to cover his or her face, so thevictim only suffers blindness for a num-ber of melee rounds equal to the hit diceof the dragon. Due to the caustic natureof salt in the eyes, any victim with a con-stitution of 10 or less must also save vs.poison or faint with pain for 3 or 4 (one-half the hit dice of the dragon, roundedup) melee rounds. For each two points ofdamage that such a victim has previous-ly taken, the faint is prolonged for oneadditional round.

Yellow dragons are intelligent enoughto keep track of who has been blinded,and will choose to go after still-sightedmembers of the party, returning in sev-eral melee rounds to try to finish offblinded ones before they recover.

Failing to save vs. breath weaponmeans the victim was struck by the saltcone while unprepared and, in additionto the above effects, is also coughingand choking on salt in the nose, mouth,and lungs (or gills, if an amphibious oraquatic NPC is involved). A victim so af-flicted will fall unconscious from lack ofair in 1-3 melee rounds and will die inanother 3-5 rounds thereafter. The chok-ing person is helpless, but a comradecan perform artificial respiration, forcingout enough salt in one round’s time toprevent death. It will take another 3 or 4(one-half the hit dice of the dragon,rounded up) rounds to clear the saltcompletely. The victim may still be blind-ed after this time until his or her eyes arecleansed of salt by tears and/or water.Spells such as Transmute rock to mudwill not affect the salt since it is a crystal,not a stone. The salt is neither a cursenor a disease; therefore, spells counter-ing such afflictions are of no use. Ordi-nary water or any other harmless fluidwill dissolve the salt in 2 or 3 (one-thirdthe hit dice of the dragon, rounded up)melee rounds.

Yellow dragons able to use magic gaina 1st-level spell at each of the first fourage brackets, and gain a 2nd-level spellat each of the remaining four age brack-ets, in the same manner as green drag-ons, with the spells selected randomly.Yellow dragons save at +2 vs. metallicpoisons such as sodium or arsenic andvs. chlorine or other poisonous gases.

Mating a yellow dragon with a red pro-duces an orange dragon. Orange drag-ons are also very rare (or perhaps non-existent) on the continent where mostAD&D adventures occur. The armorclass, size, and many other qualities ofan orange dragon would be a hybrid ofthe attributes of the red and the yellow:

Orange DragonFREQUENCY: Very rareNO. APPEARING: 1-4ARMOR CLASS: 0MOVE: 9”/24”HIT DICE: 7-9% IN LAIR: 45%TREASURE TYPE: H, SNO. OF ATTACKS: 3DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-7/2-7/2-23SPECIAL ATTACKS: Breath weapon

and possible magic useSPECIAL DEFENSES: NilMAGIC RESISTANCE: StandardINTELLIGENCE: Very to highALIGNMENT: Neutral evilSIZE: L (39’ long)PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil

Attack/Defense Modes: NilCHANCE OF:

Speaking: 50%Magic Use: 25%Sleeping: 35%

Orange dragons lair in swamp, river,or lake areas, frequently living in cavesthat either open near water or perhaps

have an underground stream runningthrough them. They tend to keep to theshadows, since their brilliant colorationwould make hiding in normal vegetationvery difficult, and often begin their day’shunting at dusk.

An orange dragon will either attackwith its claw/claw/bite routine (bite is3d8-1) or with its breath weapon, liquidsodium which is expelled in a stream ½”wide and 6” long in a straight-line direc-tion from the dragon’s head, in the man-ner of black dragons. The dull silver-colored stream of sodium oxidizes rapid-ly when exposed to air; the oily saliva ofthe dragon serves to prevent prematureignition in the mouth of the dragon. Thesodium itself is stored in the digestivetract in a nearly solid state, and is notliquefied until powerful gastric and eso-phagal contractions bring it up to themouth.

Victims hit by the sodium stream aredrenched, and as the saliva runs off andthe sodium is exposed to the air, a victimwill be engulfed in napalm-like flame, do-ing damage equal to the hit points of thedragon. This damage is halved if the vic-tim makes a saving throw vs. breathweapon. The sodium will ignite in 1-3 (10minus the hit dice of the dragon) meleerounds after covering the target.

Sodium explodes when it comes incontact with water, so if well-meaningfriends of the victim try to wash the sub-stance off, the resulting blast will do

damage to everyone in a 1½” radiusequal to the points the target alonewould have lost in fire damage. The onlypractical way to prevent a victim fromcatching fire is to drench him or her in oilto prevent the sodium from contactingthe air. All clothing and armor must thenbe removed and cleaned of sodium whilethe objects are still oil-covered, whichtakes 7, 8, or 9 (hit dice of dragon) turns.There is, of course, an element of risk inthe pouring of oil, should the sodiumignite just as the oil hits the victim.

A favorite attack mode of orangedragons is to expel sodium into a river orlake directly adjacent to a camped party(or a boatload) of adventurers. An aver-age-sized adult dragon would spit astream of sodium “worth” 40 points firedamage into the water, and the explo-sion would cause this much damage toeveryone within a 1½” radius— probablyleaving most party members hurt, andoverturning or destroying boats.

An orange dragon able to speak andemploy spells gains a 1st-level spell ateach of the first three age brackets, a2nd-level spell at each of the fourth andfifth ages, and a 3rd-level spell at each ofthe last three ages. An ancient orangedragon would therefore know three 1st-level, two 2nd-level, and three 3rd-levelspells, selected randomly. Orange drag-ons save vs. metallic poisons such assodium or arsenic at +4 and vs. fire (regu-lar and magical) at +2.

DRAGON 29

The third very rarely seen dragon typeis the purple. Two well documenteddragons, the red and the blue, may mateto produce a purple dragon. This is thestrongest of the three missing dragontypes, since its parents are the largestand most intelligent evil dragons.

Purple DragonFREQUENCY: Very rareNO. APPEARING: 1-4ARMOR CLASS: 1MOVE: 9”/24”HIT DICE: 8-10% IN LAIR: 55%TREASURE TYPE: H, TNO. OF ATTACKS: 3DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-7/2-7/5-27SPECIAL ATTACKS: Breath weapon

and possible magic useSPECIAL DEFENSES: NilMAGIC RESISTANCE: StandardINTELLIGENCE: HighALIGNMENT: Neutral evilSIZE: L (45’ long)PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil

Attack/Defense Modes: NilCHANCE OF:

Speaking: 65%Magic Use: 35%Sleeping: 25%

Purple dragons can lair in almost anyclimate, but a lair will always be a deepcomplex of underground caves, free fromany natural light sources. The breathweapon of a purple dragon is at its moststartling in utter darkness.

A purple dragon will either attack withits claw/claw/bite routine (bite is 2d12 +3) or by its breath weapon, generating abolt of energy in a straight line 1/10”wide and 10” long, similar to that of ablue dragon, but narrower. The bolt is ahigh-energy lance, a merging of thelightning and fire from the dragon’s blueand red parents. Victims take damageequal to the dragon’s hit points from be-ing fully struck; victims who make a savevs. breath weapon are only struck aglancing blow and take half damage.Both the victim and anyone else stand-ing in a 120° arc in front of the dragon’shead are struck blind for 8-10 (hit dice ofdragon) melee rounds due to the eye-searing brightness of the beam. Theblindness is of half duration outside indaylight, and of three-quarters duration(round fractions up in both cases) in atorch-lit room underground.

Magic-using purple dragons gain a1st-level spell at each of the first threestages of growth; a 2nd-level spell at thefourth and fifth stages; a 3rd-level spellat the sixth and seventh stages; and a4th-level spell at the final stage. A magic-using ancient purple dragon would knowrandom spells consisting of three 1st-level, two 2nd-level, two 3rd-level, andone 4th-level incantation. Purple drag-ons take half damage from lightning andfire attacks (regular and magical).

30 SEPTEMBER 1982

General informationTo augment the attack-effectiveness

table on page 30 of the Monster Manual,attacking a yellow, orange or purpledragon is subject to these penalties andbonuses:

Dragon’s Attack by:Breath A E F W El

Salt +1 — — + 1 —S o d i u m — -1 — — —E n e r g y — +1 -1 — -1

A = Air; E = Earth; F = Fire;W = Water; El = Electricity.

While the frequencies of the missingdragons are all listed as very rare, thiscould simply imply that dungeon adven-turers are staying close to home. On an-

other continent or atop a nearly inac-cessible plateau, the frequency of eachshould be rare, so that conventional en-counter tables for dragons can be used.

Descriptions of these three dragonsnow complete the evil dragon overspe-cies. A sage can easily trace the biologyof the most distinctive dragon character-istic, the breath weapon. The fire of thered dragon breaks apart the sodiumchloride (salt) of the yellow dragon, giv-ing sodium as a breath weapon for theorange dragon. The electricity-generat-ing effect of the blue dragon breaks thesodium chloride of the yellow dragonapart to form the chlorine breath of thegreen dragon. And the weapons of thered and blue combine to yield the energylance of the purple dragon.

D R A G O N 3 7

TIMELORDSAn NPC class for thefuture, present & past

byLewis

PulsipherTimelords are the elite military order of a mutated human

race. Most members of this race do not differ from normalhumans (except that very few are able to cast spells), but a fewhave mutated enough to be able, with proper training, to ma-nipulate time. An annual competition among 16-year-olds of atleast 15 intelligence determines which young men and womenwill enter the Order of Timelords. They become Time initiatesafter two years of intensive training and stimulation of the glandwhich enables Timelords to alter time. Only members of themutated race possess this gland, so Timelords are exclusivelynon-player characters.

Timelords attack and save using the thief tables. Timelordscan use any weapon, just as a fighter, but gain weapon profi-ciency as a thief. Timelords may use any magic item usable byall classes, plus all rings, potions, and any item which affectstime (such as a Staff of Withering). A Timelord may not wearmetal armor while using his powers, because any large mass ofmetal near his skin prevents him from calling on his chronalenergy. Timelords may use wooden shields at any time, andmetal shields subject to the above stipulation. Timelords’ hitdice are 6-sided.

As a Timelord advances in experience levels, he experimentsand gains powers. His chronal energy also increases, as shownin the accompanying table. Each use of a time-altering powercosts one chronal energy point per power level of the abilitybeing employed; the power level also indicates the minimumexperience level of Timelord able to use the power. Timelordsdo not need to memorize powers.

An unwilling target of a Timelord power is allowed a savingthrow vs. wands. The time manipulations are not spells andconsequently are unaffected by anti-magic spells or devices,though a Ring of Protection, for example, would affect thesaving throw.

TIMELORDS6 - s i d e d

Exp. Exp. dice for Level Chronalp o i n t s level hit points title ene rgy

0 — 2,000 1 1 12

Timeinitiate2,001 — 4,000 2 Timeleader 34,001 — 8,000 3 3 Timechief 68,001 — 16,000 4 4 Timecommander 10

16,001 — 32,000 5 5 Timemaster 1532,001 — 50,000 6 6 Timelord 2150,001 — 100,000 7 7 Timephilosopher 28

100,001 — 250,000 8 8 Chronos 36250,001 — 400,000 9 9 Chronos, 2nd 45400,001 — 550,000 10 10 Chronos, 3rd 55550,001 — 700,000 11 10+1 Chronos, 4th 66

150,000 experience points per level for each additionallevel beyond the 11th.

Timelords gain 1 h.p. per level, and additional chronalenergy points equal to the new level number, for eachlevel after the 11th.

Chronal powersLevel One (usable by any Timelords)

Hasten Individual — Range 6” (self possible), duration 11-30(d20 + 10) melee & rounds. Recipient moves 50% faster, includingthe gain of three attacks per two rounds if this or a better abilityis not already possessed. This effect does not age the recipient.

Slow Individual — Range 6”, duration three turns. One crea-ture of size S or M may be affected. Victim moves at half speedand attacks every other melee round.

Move Self Forward in Time — The Timelord disappears, then

D R A G O N 3 3

the appointed time, unaware of what has happened to him.

Level Five (usable by Timelords of 5th level or higher)Speed Group — This is similar to Speed Individual, but 2-16

beings of size S or M can be affected.Slow Group of Monsters — This is similar to Slow Monster,

but 2-16 beings of any size can be affected.Move Enemy Group Forward in Time — Range 1”. All ene-

mies within 10 feet of the target point are affected. The maxi-mum number which may be affected is equal to the Timelord’slevel (and remember that all get saving throws); the maximuminterval forward is one round per level of the Timelord.

See Possible Future of a Person — This is similar to SeePossible Future of a Place, but the Timelord must touch theperson (who must be alive) and the maximum interval forwardis a number of days equal to the Timelord’s level minus four.

Age Non-human Living Matter — Range 1”. The Timelordcan age any creature which is not vulnerable to a Charm Personspell, with a maximum aging of 2½ years per level of the Time-lord. Victims are matured physically but not mentally by suchaging.

Level Seven (usable by Timelords of 7th level or higher)Move Spell Forward in Time — The Timelord may move a

spell cast by someone in his party, and which has a physicalmanifestation (such as a wall of stone or a fireball) that he hasseen before. The spell gets a saving throw as though it were amagic-user of the spell’s level. The maximum interval a spellcan be sent forward is one round per level of Timelord, dividedby the level of the spell (round down to the nearest round).

Partial Time Stop — This works like the ninth-level magic-user spell Time Stop, but only one creature is affected and asaving throw is allowed.

Age Humanoid — Range 1”. This power ages anyone subjectto a Charm Person spell, up to a maximum of 2½ years per levelof the Timelord level. This effect may be counteracted by alongevity potion.

Alter Past — Range 2”. The Timelord is able to attempt toalter some action which occurred in the immediately precedinground. Usually this will amount to someone rolling a savingthrow again, or re-rolling an attack or damage die. The DMmust ensure that this is a limited power. When the power is usedin an attempt to adversely affect an opponent, that character orcreature is allowed a saving throw.

Temporal Stasis — Range 1”. This has the same effect as theninth-level magic-user spell of the same name.

Level Eight (usable by Timelords of 8th level or higher)Time Stop — This is similar to the magic-user spell of the

same name, but a saving throw is allowed.Superage — Range 1”. By aging the target at a fantastic rate,

this power has the same effect as a disintegrate spell. However,it can be reversed by another Timelord.

Level Ten (usable by Timelords of 10th level or higher)Time Stop Group — This has the effect of the magic-user

Time Stop spell, but a save is allowed. All affected creaturesmust be within 1” of the Timelord, and the maximum numberwhich may be affected is equal to the Timelord’s level.

Reversible powersOnly the four aging powers (Age Non-living Matter, Age

Non-human Living Matter, Age Human, and Superage) can bereversed by a Timelord. The experience level needed to per-form the reversed form is one higher than that needed for thenon-reversed form. Reversal can affect only a Timelord-causedchange so that, for example, the reverse of Age Human cannotcounteract the effect of a Staff of Withering.

Timelords have been conceived primarily as “monsters,” notas a non-player aid to adventurers, though on occasion theymight prove helpful. Timelords should not be very powerful, butthey can be puzzling and surprising to an adventuring party.

reappears some number of rounds later in the same place. Hemay use other powers while in “limbo,“ or change weapons, buthe must return in the same place. Whatever he is carrying, evenanother person, goes along with him. He must specify howmany rounds forward he will move when he goes; the maximumis two rounds per experience level of the Timelord. (A favoriteTimelord tactic is to move forward in time so as to reappearwhile the hapless adventurers are “looking for treasure,” think-ing the Timelord has teleported away.)

Move Object Forward in Time — Range 6”, maximum dura-tion one turn per level of the Timelord. A non-living object notnear any living thing — for example, not someone’s armor— moves forward in time. Maximum volume is one cubic footper level of the Timelord.

See Past of a Place — The Timelord can see a period of timefrom the past of the place he occupies — a room, for example,but not an entire dungeon at once. The length of this period ofviewing is 10% of the maximum distance into the past theTimelord is able to reach, which is 5 days per level. For in-stance, a third-level Timelord can see as far as 15 days into thepast and can view a time period of 1½ days duration, startinganywhere from 1½ days to 15 days prior to the present time. TheTimelord may choose to view the past at an accelerated rate, upto 24 times normal speed (at which rate a day’s events would beshown in an hour of actual time). At the DM’s discretion, theTimelord may fail to notice details — or perhaps even importantfacts — depending on how rapidly the scenes of past events areracing through his view.

See Past of a Person — This is similar to See Past of a Place,but a Timelord must touch the person or being in question. Thatperson or being need not be alive at the time.

Suspend Animation — This is similar to the psionic disciplineof the same name. The Timelord may suspend himself for amaximum of one week per experience level.

Level Three (usable by Timelords of 3rd level or higher)Hasten Group — This is similar to Hasten Individual, but from

2-16 creatures may be affected, any or all within a range of 1”.Speed Individual — Range 6” (self possible), duration 10-30

(d20 + 10) rounds. Recipient moves 100% faster, including thegain of two attacks per melee round if such an ability is notalready possessed. When the duration expires, the recipient isexhausted for an identical length of time, but (as with theHasten powers) is not aged.

Slow Monster— This is similar to Slow Individual, but affectsa creature of any size.

Slow Group — This is similar to Slow Individual except that2-12 creatures of size S or M are affected.

Move Own Group Forward in Time — A maximum of onecreature per experience level of the Timelord, if within a 10-footradius of him, may be moved forward in time. The maximuminterval is two rounds per level of Timelord. Only those willingto go may be affected.

See Possible Future of a Place — The Timelord can see apossible future of the place he occupies — a room, for example,but not a castle or a country. The maximum “distance” he maysee into the future is a number of days equal to his experiencelevel minus two. The maximum period of time he may view is1/12 of his maximum “distance,” and this viewing may be ac-celerated as with See Past. The DM must select some fairlylikely (or not-so-unlikely) event to show to the Timelord. Sincethe future is a matter of probability, not certainty, it is notnecessary for this event to take place when its time comes.

Age Non-living Matter — Any matter or substance which isnot presently alive can be aged by use of this power. The weightlimit is 10 pounds per level of the Timelord, and the maximumamount of aging is 10 years per level of the Timelord. TheTimelord must be within 1” of the object of the power. Forexample, a magic-user’s robes (including all the material com-ponents stored therein) might be aged to destruction.

Move Single Enemy Forward in Time — Range 1”, maximuminterval one round per Timelord level. The victim reappears at

34 SEPTEMBER 1982

MONSTERS of the MIDWAYDESCRIPTION OF COMPONENTS

MONSTERS OF THE MIDWAY con-sists of the following components: Aplaying field measuring 20 hexes by 14hexes, with end zones on both ends 2hexes in width; a cardboard sheet con-taining 240 player counters, 5 footballcounters, 2 ball-marker counters, andseveral blank counters; a scoreboardwith a down indicator and a display torecord the number of plays remaining inthe game; a draft chart; and the rulesbooklet you are reading.

The Counters: Each player countercontains a picture and the name of theplayer, plus a letter designating thatplayer’s size and a number indicatingthat player’s movement factor. Equalnumbers of counters are printed in con-trasting colors so players on one teamcan be distinguished from those on theother.

THE DRAFTBefore a game can begin, each coach

(human player) must draft a team usingthe draft chart which accompanies theserules. (Of course, teams which were pre-viously created can be used.) Each mon-ster type has a point value indicating the“cost” of acquiring one creature of thattype. Every team must contain 10 players— no more, no less — and must be builtusing no more than 210 points.

GENERAL RULES1. Unless otherwise specified in any

rules which follow this one, all basicrules of football apply to MONSTERS OFTHE MIDWAY.

2. The team in possession of the ballhas four downs (plays from scrimmage)in which to score a touchdown or a fieldgoal. Under no circumstances may ateam obtain a first down while it is onoffense.

3. Each team must have six players onthe field for every play. Offensive forma-tions must include three players whostart on the line of scrimmage (one ofthem being the one who snaps the ball tobegin a play from scrimmage) and threeplayers in the backfield (one of whommust receive the snap). Any player in theoffensive backfield can receive a snap,run with the ball, attempt a forward pass,or hand off the ball to another member ofthe offense. A lateral (essentially a for-ward pass in a sideways or backwarddirection) is treated as a forward pass forgame purposes.

Defensive formations can be of anyconfiguration desired by the coach, withno restrictions on how many playersmust be on the line or in the backfield.

4. The duration of a game is 25 plays,including kickoffs, punts, and field goal

36 SEPTEMBER 1982

attempts but not including point-after-touchdown attempts.

5. Each hex on the field represents adistance of 5 yards; the end zones are 10yards deep, and the midfield line is 50yards from each goal line. “Hash marks”are two hexes in from both sides of thefield; if a ball carrier is tackled in either ofthe two hex-rows at the edge of the field,the ball is spotted on the hex just insidethe hash mark on that side of the field.

MOVEMENTEach play of the game consists of one

or more movement phases. A player’smovement factor represents the maxi-mum number of hexes that counter canbe moved during one phase.

No player can move into an occupiedhex unless that player is attempting toblock, tackle, or intercept/defend againsta forward pass. Once a player enters anoccupied hex to attempt one of thesemaneuvers, movement for that counterduring that phase is ended.

At the start of a play from scrimmage(any play except a kickoff or a point-after-touchdown attempt), all offensiveplayers must take a -2 penalty to theirnormal movement factors (down to aminimum of 1). This applies only to theoffensive movement phase immediatelyfollowing the snap of the ball.

There is no cost in movement factorsfor a player who throws a forward pass,or for a player who either gives or re-ceives a handoff.

STARTING THE GAMEAfter both coaches have drafted play-

ers to fill out their rosters, a coin toss isconducted to determine which coachgets to choose first from among the op-tions available at the start of the game.The winner of the coin toss can eitherchoose to receive the kickoff, or can pickwhich end zone his or her team will de-fend. Note that the team defending thenorth end zone will have the wind at itsback for the duration of the game. Thewind advantage gives that team an in-creased range on all kicks (kickoffs,punts, field goal attempts) of one hexmore than normal.

THE KICKOFFOn any kickoff, the ball is placed di-

rectly behind the kicking team’s 40-yardline. The kicking team must position oneplayer (the kicker) directly behind theball. The other players on both teamscan be placed anywhere their coachesdesire, as long as all members of thereceiving team are on the side of the 50-yard line nearest that team’s goal line.

On the first movement phase of thekicking team (just after the ball is kicked),

all players on that team receive an addi-tion of +2 to their normal movement fac-tors, because they are able to get a run-ning start.

With two exceptions, all kickoffs travel12 hexes. In addition, a direction modifi-er is applied after the 12-hex distance iscounted off. The path of the kickoff isdetermined by the kicking team coach,and the 12-hex distance must be count-ed in a continuous line that never moveslaterally or backward. The ball is placedin the hex at the end of this path, and thekicking team coach then rolls d6. Theball is moved to the hex indicated by thisroll, which will be one of the six hexesadjacent to the end of the 12-hex path.(See diagram on field.)

If a halfling is the kicker, the kickingteam coach has the option of adding amaximum of 2 hexes distance to the kick,before the direction modifier is applied.

If the kickoff travels into the end zone,the receiving team must receive or re-cover the ball before declaring a touch-back. If the kickoff ends up beyond theend zone, an automatic touchback is de-clared and the receiving team takes pos-session of the ball on its 20-yard line. Ifthe kickoff lands out of bounds on eitherside of the field, the kicking team is pe-nalized one hex (five yards) and mustkick over.

A kickoff can be received (caught onthe fly) by a member of the receivingteam that moves into the hex containingthe ball during the receiving team’s firstmovement phase following the kick. Asuccessful reception is determined asfor a pass reception attempt (see chartsand tables). On a regular kickoff, therewill be no defenders (members of thekicking team) in the hex; on an onsidekick, a defender may well be present. If asuccessful reception is not made by thefirst member of the receiving team eligi-ble to make such an attempt, the ball isconsidered a fumble that must be recov-ered (see charts and tables).

Onside kick: An onside kick may beattempted on any kickoff. The ball willinitially travel a number of hexes equal toa roll of d6, with no direction modifierapplied after the kick itself (as with aregular kickoff). If the ball does not crossmidfield, it cannot be recovered by thekicking team. Any number of playersfrom either team may move into the hexcontaining the ball. Any and all membersof the receiving team who are eligible torecover the kick can attempt to do sobefore any kicking team members (ifeligible) can try to recover it.

If neither team recovers the kick afterone phase of movement and recoveryattempts, the kicking team coach rolls d6and applies a direction modifier, thereby

determining a new hex where the ball isnow located. If the result of a directionroll carries a short kick past midfield, thekicking team then becomes eligible torecover the ball. If the direction roll takesthe ball back toward the kicking team’sgoal line and across midfield in that di-rection, the kicking team can still recov-er the ball since it had originally traveledthe required 10 yards.

The kicking team coach can apply thedistance modifier for a halfling kicker onan onside kick as well as a regular kick-off. The coach must declare whether thehalfling’s modifier will be used, and if sowhether it will be one hex or two, beforethe die roll is taken to find the distance ofthe kick.

When an onside kick has been takenand neither team has recovered the ball,members of either team can attempt toblock opponents, to prevent them fromhaving a chance at recovering the kick,instead of making recovery attempts.This blocking maneuver cannot be usedby either team on a regular kickoff.

Regular kickoff sequence:1. Move ball 12 hexes (plus modifier

for halfling kicker, if applicable); thenroll d6 direction modifier to determinewhere kick lands.

2. Move kicking team counters (+2 tomovement factor in first phase afterkickoff only).

3. Move receiving team counters, Ifany members of the receiving team areable to move into the hex containing theball, roll to see if a reception is made. If areception attempt fails, roll d6 for direc-tion modifier to determine new locationof fumbled kickoff.

4. Move kicking team counters and at-tempt to recover loose ball (if applicable)or tackle kick receiver (if possible).

5. Move receiving team counters, at-tempting to either recover the kick, blockfor the ball carrier, or advance the ballupfield.

6. Continue alternating movementphases until a ball carrier is determinedand a ball carrier either scores or istackled.

Onside kickoff sequence:1. Kicking team declares halfling mo-

difier to be used (if applicable); then rolld6 to determine distance of kick andmove ball the required number of hexestoward the receiving team’s goal line.

2. Move kicking team counters. If theball has landed beyond midfield, kickingteam members may attempt to recoverthe kick.

3. Move receiving team counters andattempt to recover the kick.

4. If neither team recovers the kick af-ter one movement/recovery phase, rolld6 for direction modifier to determinethe new location of the ball.

5. If the ball is recovered, that actionends the movement/recovery phase of

the recovering team. The team withoutthe ball can then move and attempt totackle the ball carrier.

6. Continue alternating movement/recovery phases until a ball carrier is de-termined and that ball carrier eitherscores or is tackled.

BLOCKING AND TACKLINGBlocking and tackling are both related

to size. Each monster type is defined assize S (small), M (man-size), L (largerthan man-size), or G (giant). The SizeModifier chart (see charts and tables)lists adjustments to be made to theblocking or tackling die roll dependingon the size of each combatant.

All blocks are attempted at the end ofthe offensive movement phase. Regard-less of a blocker’s movement factor, onlyone block can be attempted by anyblocker in a single phase.

To attempt a block, an offensive playermust move into a hex occupied by a de-fensive player. The offensive team coachthen rolls d6 and applies the Size Modifi-er (if any) to the result, referring to the“Blocking and tackling results” chart tofind the outcome of the attempt. Twoblockers (but not three or more) can oc-cupy the same hex if there is a defensiveplayer also present in that hex. If a de-fender is being blocked by two players,the offensive coach decides the order inwhich blocks will be attempted. Onlyone block must be made; the coach cancall off the second attempt if the first onesucceeds or if he decides not to make thesecond attempt.

A result of “Blocker injured for game”means that counter must be removedfrom the field immediately and cannot beused for the rest of the game. An injuredblocker can (and should) be replaced bya substitute that comes in at the start ofthe next play — not the next movementphase.

A result of “Blocker injured for nextplay” means that counter must be re-moved for the remainder of the currentplay and all of the next play. The injuredblocker can be replaced at the start ofthe next play by a substitute and canre-enter the game one play later.

A result of “Blocker defeated” meansthe defensive player is not affected by

If this is the start of an offensivemovement phase, the coach couldsend blockers B-1 and B-2 againstdefenders D-1 and D-2, hoping toat least neutralize each of them.Another strategy would be to sendB-1 and B-2 to block in the hexoccupied by D-1, while sendingthe ball carrier (BC) a way from thedirection of D-2. Then, if either ofthe blocks against D-1 succeeds,BC has plenty of running room andD-2 will probably be too far away tocatch him.

the blocking attempt and can function asusual on the following defensive move-ment phase.

A result of “Neutralize” means the de-fensive player has been partially immo-bilized, and cannot move for the follow-ing movement phase but can attempt atackle in an adjacent hex.

A result of “Successful block” meansthe defensive player can neither movenor attempt a tackle for the followingmovement phase.

Results of “Defender injured” are treat-ed the same as for “Blocker injured.”

On any rushing play or on a pass playafter the receiver has caught the ball andstarted to run with it, defensive playerscan attempt to tackle the ball carrierfrom an adjacent hex. Tackles can alsobe attempted by defenders in the samehex as the ball carrier. No hex can beoccupied by more than one would-betackler unless it is the hex containing theball carrier.

Unlike blocks, tackles do not have totake place at the end of a movementphase. A defensive player may attempt atackle once and only once during eachset of offensive and defensive movementphases. A tackling attempt can be madeby a defender during an offensive move-ment phase any time the ball carriermoves into a hex adjacent to the defend-er. A tackling attempt can also be madeat the end of a defensive movementphase by any would-be tackler that isadjacent to the ball carrier and did not tryto tackle that ball carrier in the precedingoffensive movement phase. Exception: Ifthe ball was handed off from the pre-vious ball carrier to a new one during thepreceding offensive movement phase af-ter a defender attempted a tackle, thatdefender may try to tackle the new ballcarrier at the end of the current defen-sive movement phase.

If more than one would-be tackler is inthe hex containing the ball carrier, or ifmultiple tacklers are in different hexesadjacent to the ball carrier, the defensivecoach decides in which order the tacklesare attempted. The coach may elect tocall off any possible remaining tackle at-tempts at any time.

On any tackling attempt, the defensive

D R A G O N 3 7

coach rolls d6 and applies the Size Modi-fier and then reads the result from thechart.

A result of “Ball carrier injured forgame” or “Ball carrier injured for nextplay” is treated the same as for injuriesreceived in blocking.

A result of “Ball carrier tackled” meansthe offensive player is stopped at thatpoint and the play is over.

A result of “Ball carrier slowed” meansthe tackler has made contact, causingthe ball carrier to lose 1 or 2 (dependingon the result) from its movement factorfor the next offensive movement phase.

A result of “Miss” means the tacklerdid not succeed; the ball carrier can pro-ceed as if no tackle had been attempted.

Results of “Tackler injured for nextplay” and “Tackler injured for game” aretreated the same as other injury results.

PLAYS FROM SCRIMMAGEOn any play from scrimmage, the of-

fense has four basic play choices: a rush-ing play, a forward pass, a punt, or a fieldgoal attempt. The sequence describedbelow is followed before each play fromscrimmage is run:

1. Offense sets up in formation (threeplayers on line, three in backfield).

2. Defense sets up in formation.3. Offense may shift formation or send

one player in motion. This player canmove laterally or away from the line ofscrimmage up to the limit of its move-ment factor.

4. Defense may adjust, moving any orall players up to the limit of their move-ment factors but not crossing the line ofscrimmage.

5. Offense snaps ball to begin play.There cannot be more than two openhexes between the center and the re-ceiver of the snap, and the direction ofthe snap must always be away from theline of scrimmage. Snaps are alwaysconsidered “complete” and cannot befumbled, regardless of how many hexesthey travel.

Rushing playsThe player who receives the snap can

try to advance the ball by rushing. At anyplace on the field during a rushing play,the ball carrier can hand off to a team-mate occupying an adjacent hex, at nomovement cost to either player. Thehandoff can occur when either or both ofthe players involved have not beguntheir movement for that phase, or wheneither or both of them have begun butnot completed their movement for thatphase. Two players can be moved simul-taneously only if they are brought to ad-jacent hexes and a handoff takes placeimmediately thereafter.

Following a reception by either teamon a passing play, the ball carrier mayhand off to a teammate just as if the playwas a rushing play. Handoffs cannot befumbled.

38 SEPTEMBER 1982

Passing playsBy their nature, forward passes are

more complicated than rushing plays.The procedure for a passing play is asfollows:

1. A ball carrier can only throw a for-ward pass at the start of an offensivemovement phase, and only if that playertype is permitted to throw passes. A passcan be thrown immediately after a playerreceives the snap from center. Throwinga pass is done at no cost in movementfactors. The ball can travel a number ofhexes equal to or less than the monster’sRange rating, in any direction desired bythe offensive coach.

2. The offensive coach places the ballin the hex designated as the target areaof the pass.

3. Offensive team conducts all move-ment desired, with players attempting toeither block an opponent (if a pass hadnot just been thrown), move into posi-tion to catch the pass, or obstruct thepath of a defensive player that might tryto intercept the pass. If an offensiveplayer occupies the same hex as the ballat the end of its movement, that playermay attempt a reception after all move-ment for both teams in the phase hasbeen completed. Only one intended re-ceiver can occupy a hex at one time.Only linemen (players who line up on theline of scrimmage) can be receivers. Ifany player in the offensive backfieldcrosses the line of scrimmage before apass is thrown, the play must be a rush-ing play; a pass can no longer be thrownon that play.

4. Defensive team conducts all move-ment desired, with one or more playersperhaps moving into position to attemptan interception or a tackle. If a defensiveplayer occupies the same hex as the ball,that player can attempt an interception(if the ball is loose) or a tackle (if a recep-tion has been previously made by theoffense).

5. Continue alternating movementphases until one of the following eventsoccurs: (a)The pass falls incomplete;(b)The offense makes a reception andscores or is tackled; or (c)The defensemakes an interception and scores or istackled.

5a. A pass is incomplete, and the playis over, if no player reaches the hex con-taining the ball in the movement phaseimmediately following the throwing ofthe pass. A pass is also incomplete whenany eligible offensive receiver attempts areception and fails, as long as the ball isnot immediately intercepted. One team-mate may occupy the same hex as theintended receiver, but only one recep-tion attempt may be made by the offenseon any pass play. This is the only casewhen two teammates can occupy thesame hex at the same time, if they are notboth blockers.

5b. A pass is complete when the in-tended receiver makes a catch. Any and

all defensive players in the same hex asthe receiver immediately after the catchis made can attempt to tackle the receiv-er. If the receiver has a blocker in thesame hex and at least two defensiveplayers are also present in the hex, theoffensive coach designates which de-fensive player the blocker is taking on.That defender cannot attempt a tackle ifthe block is successfully executed, butany other defender(s) present can try totackle the receiver, ignoring the pres-ence of the occupied blocker. If no de-fender is present in the same hex when acatch is made, the play from scrimmagecontinues with alternating offensive anddefensive movement phases, until atouchdown or a tackle occurs. A tacklecannot be attempted from an adjacenthex against a receiver that has justcaught the ball.

5c. A pass can be intercepted if at leastone defender is in the same hex as theintended receiver and the ball, and theoffensive player fails to make a recep-tion. The defender(s) can then roll for areception, taking multiple attempts inany order desired by the defensive coach.If any defender makes the catch, the ballis intercepted and may be advanced to-ward the opposing team’s goal line, withthe former defensive team now becom-ing the offensive team and continuingthe play by taking a movement phaseimmediately following the interception.If more than one defender was in the hexwith the ball just before an interception,the ball carrier must be moved to a dif-ferent hex than the blocker(s) at the firstopportunity, since a ball carrier cannotoccupy the same hex as any of its block-ers. The play continues until the ball car-rier scores a touchdown or is tackled.

General rules on pass plays: If they arebeyond the line of scrimmage, offensiveplayers may not attempt blocks duringthe movement phase after the ball isthrown.

A pass may not be thrown if the ballcarrier has advanced beyond the line ofscrimmage.

A pass may be thrown in any direction,including laterally or backward. Howev-er, a lateral or backward pass must resultin a reception or be treated as a fumble;an “incomplete” lateral or backward passdoes not end a play.

SCORINGA touchdown is scored when an offen-

sive or defensive player enters the oppo-nent’s end zone while carrying the ball,or when (as with a pass into the end zoneor a fumble recovery in the end zone) aplayer gets possession of the ball whilein the end zone. It is worth six points.

A point after touchdown is scored bykicking the ball through the goal-postuprights after a touchdown. Any playeron the team that just scored a touch-down can attempt an extra-point kick.The point is automatic for a halfling

D R A G O N 3 9

MONSTERSof the

MIDWAY

42 SEPTEMBER 1982

kicker; otherwise, a result of 1-5 on a rollof d6 indicates success. The team thatwas just scored upon can try to blockany kick which would otherwise be suc-cessful, as long as that team has at leastone uninjured size L or size G playeravailable. The defensive coach desig-nates an eligible player as the would-beblocker, and rolls d6; on a result of 6, theblock succeeds. After a blocked kick, theoffensive coach rolls d6; a result of 6means the blocker was stunned andcannot play on the ensuing kickoff.

A two-point conversion is set up like aplay from scrimmage, with the ball spot-ted on the dark-outlined hex nearest theopponent’s end zone. The team that justscored a touchdown can try to score twomore points by advancing the ball intothe end zone. Any recovery of the ball bythe defense, such as a fumble recoveryor an interception, stops play immediate-ly. In all other respects, this play is runexactly as a play from scrimmage. Neith-er type of point-after-touchdown attemptcounts as a play, for purposes of deter-mining the length of the game.

A field goal can be attempted on anyplay when the ball is within range of theopponent’s goal posts (see charts andtables). A field goal attempt must be an-nounced as such by the coach of thekicking team. The kick is taken from onehex behind the line of scrimmage, andthe goal posts are located at the rear ofthe end zone. With a regular play fromscrimmage, the kicking team must placethree players on the line of scrimmage.The kicker is set up in the hex directlybehind the spot where the ball will besnapped to. There must be a holder posi-tioned on the hex the ball will be snappedto; the snap can be to any one of thethree hexes behind the ball. Once bothformations are set up and the ball issnapped, the kicking team coach rolls onthe “Field goal success” chart to deter-mine the outcome of the attempt.

If the kick is good, the defending teamcan roll to block the kick, providing aneligible blocker (size L or G) is in theformation. The chance for a successfulblock, and the chance of an injury to theblocker, are the same as for a point aftertouchdown.

If the block fails, the kicking team isawarded three points. If the block suc-ceeds, the coach of the blocking teamrolls d6 and applies the result as a direc-tion modifier, starting from the hex theball was kicked from. The loose ball canbe recovered (as a fumble) and advancedby the recovering player. If the kickingteam recovers the fumble and does notscore a touchdown on this play, theblocking team is awarded possession ofthe ball at the spot where the ball carrierwas tackled.

A defensive player can score a safety(two points) by tackling the ball carrier inthe offensive team’s end zone. The teamscored upon then must kick off or punt

the ball to the opponents, starting fromits own 20-yard line (instead of the 40, aswith a regular kickoff).

PUNTINGA punt, unlike a field goal, does not

need to be announced ahead of the play.As with all other plays from scrimmage,the offensive team must have three play-ers on the line of scrimmage at the startof the play.

The ball must be snapped back to thepunter, who cannot be more than fourhexes behind the ball. The punter cannotmove or kick the ball during his team’sinitial movement phase, but it can be thefirst action the team performs in its nextmovement phase. A player is not eligibleto punt after having moved from his orig-inal position.

if a defensive player moves into thehex containing the punter before the ballhas been kicked, the punt is blocked.The same procedure as for a blockedfield goal is followed regarding ball loca-tion and recovery — except that the punt-er cannot recover a loose ball in the firstphase following the successful block.

If a punt attempt is not blocked, thepunting team coach must indicate thepath the ball will follow when kicked (to-ward a sideline, straight downfield, orsomething in between). One of the blankcounters can be used to illustrate the linealong which the punt will travel. Thekicking team coach then rolls 2d6 to de-termine how many hexes (2-12) the ballwill travel along that line during the cur-rent movement phase.

After the ball is punted, any offensiveteam members who have not alreadymoved in the current phase may do so.The defensive team then has an oppor-tunity to start converging on the spotwhere it looks like the ball is comingdown. In the next offensive movementphase, the punting coach rolls d6 andadds the result (1-6) to the path followedafter the first (2d6) result, then applies adirection modifier to determine the hexwhere the punt comes down.

If possible, a receiving team playermay move into the hex where the ball willland and attempt a reception. A punt re-ception is executed the same as a passreception. If a player fails an attemptedreception, a fumble has occurred andthe direction modifier is used from thepoint where the punt came down, inorder to determine the new location ofthe ball.

The receiver may choose to let thepunt hit the ground instead of trying tocatch the ball. If this is the case, the kick-ing team coach rolls d6. This result is thenumber of movement phases (beginningwith the current one) in which directionmodifiers will be applied if no player re-covered the loose ball in the previousphase. Example: The punt comes downwithout a reception being attempted.The kicking team coach rolls “3” on d6,

It’s a punt: The offensive coach has justdesignated B as the last hex on the pathtraveled by the kick. He will now roll d6for a direction modifier to determine ex-actly what hex the ball falls in to. If thedirection modifier is anything but a 1 or 2and defender D-1 has a movement factorof at least 3, he can move into the hexwith the ball and try to catch it.

meaning that he will apply direction mo-difiers on three successive movementphases (to simulate the ball bouncingfrom place to place) if the ball is notrecovered in the meantime. He takes thefirst direction-modifier roll immediately,and each succeeding one (up to the lim-it) at the start of each succeeding offen-sive movement phase.

If the receiving team recovers a looseball after a punt hits the ground, the re-covering player can attempt to advancethe ball. If the punting team recovers aloose ball, the play is stopped and thereceiving team is awarded a first down atthat spot on the field.

FUMBLES AND FUMBLE RECOVERYA fumble occurs on any attempted re-

ception of a kickoff, a punt, or a lateral ifthe reception fails. A fumble does notoccur if the reception of a forward passfails; the pass is simply incomplete. Afumble cannot occur on a rushing play,or as the result of a tackle on a ball carri-er. When a fumble takes place, the coachof the team that did not fumble applies adirection modifier to determine the loca-tion of the ball for purposes of attempt-ing a recovery.

If two opposing players enter or oc-cupy a hex in order to attempt a fumblerecovery, the offensive player will rollfirst for possession if the ball is locatedon the offensive team’s side of the line ofscrimmage. The defense will roll first ifthe fumbled ball is located on the defen-sive side of the line of scrimmage. Theonly exception to this rule, as notedunder “Punting,” is that a punter cannotattempt a “fumble recovery” on a blockedpunt in the movement phase immediate-ly after the block occurs.

D R A G O N 4 3

Blocking and tackling resultsModified

Blocking attempt d6 roll Tackling attempt SizeBlocker injured for game -2 Ball carrier injured for game

Blocker injured for next play -1 Ball carrier injured for next play modifiersBlocker defeated 0 Ball carrier tackled DefenseBlocker defeated 1 Ball carrier tackled S M L GBlocker defeated 2 Ball carrier tackled S 0 -1 -2 -3

Neut ra l ize 3 Ball carrier tackled M +1 0 -1 -2Neut ra l ize 4 Ball carrier slowed (-2) L +2 +1 0 -1Neut ra l ize 5 Ball carrier slowed (-1) G +3 +2 +1 0

Successful block 6 MissSuccessful block 7 Miss

Defender injured for next play 8 Tackler injured for next playDefender injured for game 9 Tackler injured for game

Fumble Recovery Table Field goal success Pass receptionPlayers Recovery on Distance d6 roll (or interception)in hex d6 roll of: of kick to make Opponents d6 roll

1 1-5 3-4 hexes 1-5 in hex for success2 1-43 1-3

5-6 hexes 1-4 0 1-4

4 1-2 7-8 hexes 1-3 1 1-3

5+ 1 9-10 hexes 1-2 2 1-211-12 hexes 1 3 1

(Halfling kickers add +1 (Adjust d6 result by amount ofto d6 result) player’s receiving modifier, if any)

MONSTERS OF THE MIDWAY Draft ChartQ B R e c . Q B R e c .

Pts. Player type Mv Sz range mod. Magic Pts. Player type Mv Sz range mod. Magic5 Brownie 3 S 3 +3 Mirror image 10 Hobgoblin 2 M 10 — none

10 Bugbear 2 L 0 — n o n e 5 Kobold 1 S 3 +1 none40 Centaur 5 L 8 — n o n e 10 Leprechaun 4 S 3 +2 Invisibility,10 Dwarf 1 S 6 + 1 n o n e 1 per game20 Elf 3 M 8 - 1 n o n e 20 Lycanthrope 3 M 10 — none20 Ettin 3 G 0 +3 none (Werebear) 4 L 2 +3 none40 Giant, Cloud 4 G 30 +2 none 20 Man 3 M 10 - 1 n o n e30 Giant, Stone 3 G 30 — none 20 Minotaur 3 L 0 — none40 Giant, Storm 4 G 30 +2 Lightning bolt, 10 Orc 2 M 10 — none

1 per game 40 Satyr none10 Gnoll 2 L 0 — n o n e 140 Titan 6 G 30 — Mirror image10 Gnome 1 S 6 +1 Change self, Change self:

1 per game Invisibility,5 Goblin 1 S 5 — none each 1 /game

10 Halfling 2 S 5 — n o n e 20 Treant 3 L 6 +3 none

44 SEPTEMBER 1982

The defensive coach knows there are three mirror imageson the field, but he doesn’t know where the real ball carrier(BC) is. If the offensive coach moves BC in the indicateddirection, all three images (M-1, M-2, and M-3) must followthe same route from where they are located. In this case,no mirror image will run into a defender (and have to beremoved). But this path takes both M-2 and M-3 into easy(two hexes away) tackling range for defender D-1. If D-1tries to tackle one of them, he’ll find out it isn’t there. If D-1guesses right and is able to move four hexes to get to thespot occupied by BC, he can end the play by making asuccessful tackle.

MAGICCertain player types have magic abili-

ties (which may or may not correspondto abilities the same monsters have in theAD&D rules). Whenever a magic abilityis used, it must be put into play at thebeginning of the player’s movementphase; in other words, a player cannottake normal movement and then employa magic ability in the same phase. How-ever, a player can use a magic ability andthen move later in the same phase.

MIRROR IMAGE: This spell will last forfour movement phases after it is cast oruntil the actual caster is contacted phys-ically by another player. At the start ofthe caster’s movement phase, the coachof that player rolls d6 and divides theresult by two (round up) to yield anumber from 1-3. This is the number ofmirror images created by the spell. Afterthe number is determined, the coach ofthe casting player selects this number ofblank counters, including one blank withan “X” on the underside that will repre-sent the actual player. All of the blankcounters are placed on the field. Each ofthe images must be adjacent to at leastone other blank counter, and all of theimages must “mirror” the movement ofthe caster. (Exception: If an image posi-tioned between the caster and anotherimage is taken out of the play, the re-maining counters need not be moved ad-jacent to each other, but the image(s)remaining must still mirror the caster’smovement for as long as the play lasts. Ifa defensive player occupies the hex be-tween two non-adjacent blank counters,the defensive coach can decide whichcounter will be revealed on a tacklingattempt.) If a mirror image is forced torun out of bounds, that counter is re-moved from play, but the action can con-tinue as long as the counter representingthe caster does not leave the field. If anopposing player comes into contact (inthe same hex) with a mirror-image coun-ter or is in an adjacent hex (as on anattempt to tackle), the blank counter isturned over to see if the actual caster hasbeen contacted. If so, an attempt toblock or tackle that player is made asusual. If not, the blank counter is simplyremoved from play, and the opposingplayer that made contact cannot per-form any more action until the next

movement phase. Should a mirror-imagecounter come into contact with an op-posing player by virtue of mirroring thecaster’s moves, that counter is removedfrom the field, and in this case the oppos-ing player can still make a blocking ortackling attempt in that movement phase.A mirror-image counter cannot carry theball, receive a pass, recover a fumble,block, or tackle. This spell cannot becast before the ball is snapped.

LIGHTNING BOLT: This spell must becast at the beginning of the caster’smovement phase and the results are im-mediate. The bolt will never miss and canbe directed at either the ball or a player.If directed at the ball, the lightning boltmakes the ball dead — literally. The playis nullified but counts as a play, just as ifan incomplete pass had occurred. If thebolt is directed at a player, the targetplayer will fall to the ground stunned andmust leave the game for the remainder ofthe current play and all of the next play.A lightning bolt cannot cause a fumbleand cannot bring about a change of pos-session unless the casting of the boltcauses a play to end, and a change ofpossession would have occurred at thatpoint anyway.

CHANGE SELF: This spell lasts for upto two movement phases. It allows thecaster to change into any of the follow-ing creatures, complete with that crea-ture’s abilities: bugbear, gnoll, goblin,hobgoblin, orc, or kobold. Abilities in-clude size and movement factor, plusany special abilities (see following sec-tion) possessed by that creature type.The change can be cancelled at any timeprior to the expiration of the spell if sodesired, as long as the cancellation takesplace at the start of the caster’s move-ment phase.

INVISIBILITY: This spell lasts for onemovement phase. At the start of the cas-ter’s movement phase, when the spell iscast, a blank counter is placed in the hexwhere the player went invisible. An invis-ible player cannot be blocked or tackled,but can perform as a blocker or tackler ifthe opportunity presents itself. At thebeginning of the movement phase fol-lowing the casting of the magic, theplayer reappears on any unoccupied hexwithin range of the player’s last visibleposition. If the player reappears in a hex

adjacent to an opposing player, the op-ponent can attempt to block or tacklethat player before the newly visible play-er is able to move.

LYCANTHROPY: A lycanthrope (were-bear) can change form at will, as manytimes as desired during a game but al-ways at the beginning of that player’saction in a movement phase. In humanform, the player is a normal man; in wereform, the player is larger (but slower)and would perform better as a blockeror tackler than a human would.

SPECIAL ABILITIESCertain player types have special (non-

magical) abilities. Dwarves and gnomesare able to block size G players as if theythemselves were giants, with no penaltyfor their small size. Elves are treated assize S creatures when a block or a tackleis attempted against them. Goblins andkobolds are treated as size M creatureswhen a block or tackle is attemptedagainst them. Minotaurs are treated assize G creatures when used as blockers.

A hobgoblin will always cover or chaseany elf on the opposing team, regardlessof what the original formations lookedlike. (If there is more than one elf on theopposing team, the hobgoblin will go af-ter the closer one.)

Kobolds and orcs cannot be knockedout of the game because of injury; treat aresult of “Injured for game” as “Injuredfor one play.”

Treants are treated as size G creatureswhen a block is attempted against them,and are treated as size G with an extramodifier of -1 to the die roll when a tackleis attempted against them.

Ettins are ferocious but stupid: Anytime an ettin starts a movement phaseadjacent to a teammate, the coach of theettin’s team rolls d6. A result of “6” indi-cates that the ettin will make a block ortackle attempt against his teammate. Ifthis attempt succeeds, the teammate cantake no further action in the currentmovement phase.

CREDITSDesign and development: Gali SanchezDevelopment and editing: Kim MohanPlaytesting: Doug Niles, Roger Raupp,Gali SanchezBased on an idea by Brian Spigett

D R A G O N 4 5

In its heyday, the Celtic sphere of in-fluence covered all of the British Islesand a sizable portion of Europe, span-ning the continent from Gaul to Asia Mi-nor. Though the tribes were never a uni-fied and centrally governed nation, theywere connected by trade routes and rela-tions; and there is evidence that manytraditions and beliefs were shared, aswell as many goods and manufacturingtechniques.

While certain deities and practiceswere universal to the Celts, it must beremembered that these were a warlikepeople, expanding their territory by in-vasion and subjugation. Because of this,they were constantly exposed to newand different ideas and ideologies, whichwere usually more or less incorporated

use of the Celtic mythos within theframework of the D&D® and AD&D™games, based on the fact that each areaof the Celtic world held different tradi-tions and pantheons. In specific, it willdeal with the Tuatha De Danann and thenon-Tuathan figures presented in the

rather to recommend corrections to the

The point of this article is not to be ascholarly monograph on comparativeCeltic religions, which can be pretty dulleven for students of the subject, but

into their own beliefs. It has even beensuggested that Druidism, the official re-ligion of the Celts in Britain and Gaul,was not of Celtic origin but had beenadopted by the Celtic invaders of Britainfrom the preceding population.

DEITIES & DEMIGODS™ Cyclopedia.

D R A G O N 4 7

Most of the figures presented in theDEITIES & DEMIGODS book as the Cel-tic pantheon are actually members of agroup called the Tuatha De Danann, andare exclusive to the Gaelic Celts of Ire-land and Scotland. While there are sim-ilar figures in other Celtic pantheons,and certain figures such as Nuada, Brigitand Lugh also appear in place namesand inscriptions on the European conti-nent, Ireland is the only place where theTuatha De Danann appear as a distinctgroup. It is possible that the authors ofthe DEITIES & DEMIGODS book haveattempted to blend similar figures fromseveral Celtic pantheons into one all-encompassing Celtic pantheon in orderto promote ease of play and to savespace; an in-depth examination of thevarious Celtic branches could have easi-ly filled half the volume!

ARMOR CLASS: -4MOVE: 12”HIT POINTS: 400NO. OF ATTACKS: See belowDAMAGE/ATTACK: See belowSPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 80%SIZE: M (6’ tall)ALIGNMENT: NeutralWORSHIPPER’S ALIGN: NeutralSYMBOL: Wreath of mistletoePLANE: Concordant OppositionCLERIC/DRUID: 20th level druidFIGHTER: NilMAGIC-USER/ILLUSIONIST: 30th level

magic-userTHIEF/ASSASSIN: NilMONK/BARD: 75th level bardPSIONIC ABILITY: IIS: 19 I: 25 W: 25 D: 20C: 25 CH: 24

Danann appears as a mature woman.Her motherly aspect makes her sympa-thetic to all living things, especially

48 SEPTEMBER 1982

The translation of Tuatha De Danannis “People (or “Children”) of the God-dess Danann.” (For the sake of simplici-ty, it is generally accepted that when onespeaks of “the Tuatha,” one is referringto the Tuatha De Danann.) This termi-nology would be roughly comparable,for instance, to calling the Norse godsand goddesses “the People of the GodOdin.”

The early Christian monks in Irelandset out to prove that the Irish peoplewere part of the Christian fold by tracingtheir line of descent from Adam and Evethrough a son of Noah. Unfortunately forpresent-day scholars, these monks werealso the first to write down the legends ofthe Tuatha. The original Gaelic creationmyths were lost, so we do not knowwhere the Tuatha came from before their

young things such as saplings, younganimals or children. There is a 5% chancethat she will attack any creature attempt-ing to destroy such things. She is theGoddess of Magic, and can cause trees,stones and sods of earth to fight for herby turning them into armed fighters.(Use Random Encounter tables for hu-man fighters.) As a last resort, she canalso summon the Wild Hunt, which willappear in the evening of the day shesummons it. She carries a Staff of Powerand wears a Torc of the Gods.

Danann is a watered-down version ofthe Celtic Mother Goddess, the all-pow-

erful Earth Mother of the ancient ma-triarchal religion. It was held that all lifecame from her and returned to her atdeath, to then be reborn in a new form.

A cursory examination of the legendsof the Tuatha De Danann would not re-veal Danann’s power and position in thehierarchy, again due to the efforts of theearly Irish Christian monks, who mini-mized all mention of her as part of anactive campaign to stamp out the EarthGoddess’ religion. It is only through fa-miliarity with other Celtic sources con-cerning worship of the goddess that wecan infer Danann’s true role as supremedeity of this pantheon. The inference isnot difficult to make when we take therather obvious clue given in the name ofthe pantheon itself, “Children of theGoddess Danann,” but the inferencemight not occur to anyone who was notalready familiar with the goddess throughexamination of Welsh, English and Bret-on sources.

It would be roughly analogous to callDanann the “Queen” and Nuada the“Prime Minister” in the hierarchy, withthe individual Tuatha taking roles as de-partmental ministers and secretaries.

arrival in Ireland. We do know, however,that they “. . . came in dark cloudsthrough the air and alighted on a moun-tain. . . .” A late account of this invasionexplains to us that Ireland was at the timeoccupied by a race called the Fir Bolg(Men of the Spear?), who were beatenby the Tuatha at the First Battle ofMag Tuired. The account continues todescribe the Tuatha as “. . . the mosthandsome and delightful company, thefairest of form, the most distinguished intheir equipment and apparel, and mostskillful in their music and playing, themost gifted in mind and temperamentthat ever came to Ireland. The Tuathawas the company that was bravest andinspired the most horror and fear anddread, for the Tuatha excelled all thepeoples of the world in their proficiencyin every art.”

“The Three Leaders of the Tuatha”are pictured below and described on the facing page:

Dagda (left), Nuada (center); and Ogma (right).

The Dagda (also simply “Dagda”) isthe father-figure in Tuathan mythology,and so it is understandable that he wasdescribed as a king in the DEITIES &DEMIGODS book. Perhaps he once was,and the kingship changed hands in theunrecorded past; but the stories are ex-plicit that by the time the Tuatha came toIreland their king was Nuada, and fromthen on, Dagda never becomes king.

“The Dagda” is interpreted to mean“The Good God,” an interpretation whichis supported by modern philologists. Heis the God of Druidism and Magic, andby himself can wield the powers of all ofthe Tuatha’s druids and magicians.

The statistics for Dagda given in theDDG book are fine for the most part,

Nuada was king of the Tuatha De Da-nann when they landed in Ireland andmet the Fir Bolg at the First Battle of MagTuired. It was during this battle that hisarm was severed, to be later replacedwith a silver arm by Dian Cecht the Phy-sician, giving him the name Nuada Air-getlam (Nuada of the Silver Arm).

Eventually, contention arose betweenthe Tuathan Lords and their wives overthe fact that Nuada was no longer “un-blemished,” and according to traditioncould therefore no longer be king. Intime, the women prevailed, and the king-ship was given to Bres, the son of a Tua-than Lady and a Fomorian Prince.

Both of these last points seem strangein light of the fact that the Fomorians arerepeatedly referred to in other stories asa race of one-eyed giants and the deadlyenemies of the Tuatha. We can supposethat the marriage was political, intendedto promote peace between the two rac-es, but making a king of Bres seems to betaking the effort too far.

As could be expected, Bres proceededto strip the Tuatha of their goods, mon-ey, land and finally their dignity, for thebenefit of the Fomorian kings. Eventual-ly he was the victim of a scathing satire

MOVE: 15”HIT POINTS: 390NO. OF ATTACKS: 3DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3-36 (+14)SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowSYMBOL: Open scroll behind swordFIGHTER: 20th level ranger

Ogma was Dagda’s brother, and whenthese two are considered along with

though I recommend he be considered a25th level druid and a 25th level magic-user. I also recommend doing away withthe twelve ethereal “clones,” since theyseem to be based on an incorrect ety-mology which translates Dagda as “Doz-en King.” Instead, I give him the ability toabsorb power such that if he is magicallyattacked by clerics and/or magic-users,he will gain as many levels in these cate-gories as half the total number of levelsof all the attackers combined, for the du-ration of the combat, though the at-tackers themselves will suffer no corres-ponding loss of power. Likewise, if agroup of spellcasters is fighting withhim, they may lend him power equal tothe total of their combined levels, butthen they may not take an active part inthe battle.

Dagda’s staff can kill and resurrect as

by the Tuathan bard Cairbre, and be-cause of the magical power inherent inbardic satire, his fortune turned and be-gan to decline. When Miach, the son ofDian Cecht, restored Nuada’s arm toflesh and blood, Bres was finally drivenout and Nuada was reinstated as King ofthe Tuatha.

The statistics for Nuada which shouldbe changed are given below. Others canbe used as they are found in the DDGbook.

MOVE: 12”NO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3-30 (+14)SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowWORSHIPPER’S ALIGN: NeutralCLERIC/DRUID: 7th level druidFIGHTER: 16th level rangerMAGIC-USER/ILLUSIONIST: 5th level

in eachTHIEF/ASSASSIN: NilMONK/BARD: 7th level bardS: 23 I: 23 W: 23 D: 23C: 20 CH: 25

While Nuada is an excellent fighter, heis not specifically the God of War. Hismain attributes are his great popularityamong the Tuatha and his superlativeefficiency as a king. The loss of his armwas a great blow to all of the Tuatha, and

Nuada, the trio was called “The ThreeLeaders of the Tuatha.”

It was actually Ogma who was the Tua-tha’s champion; he was a consummatewarrior, skilled with any weapon and inany fighting style, and he fought all chal-lenges of single combat made to theTuatha. To make his description corres-pond with this information, he has beengiven many of the attributes that hadbeen assigned to, Nuada in the DEITIES& DEMIGODS book.

Ogma is also the Lord of Language,and gave mortal druids the alphabet

described in the book. Dagda’s cauldronwill magically produce enough food anddrink to satisfy any size group of peopleor animals. Dagda’s sentient harp, in ad-dition to the qualities assigned to it in theDDG book, will fly to his hand uponcommand if it is within the sound of hisvoice. It will also play the three magicalstrains of Laughter, Sorrow and Sleep,which cause all within hearing to befilled with joy, prostrated with grief, orfall into a deep sleep from which theycannot be awakened. Each of these ef-fects lasts for eight hours (no savingthrow). The harp will not sound for anybut the Dagda’s hands, and there is a90% chance that it will inflict 8-84 pointsof damage to any character who tries toplay it, except for a bard of at least 20thlevel. It cannot be broken, nor can itsstrings be cut.

taking the kingship from him was notdue to cold-heartedness on anyone’spart; it was simply dictated by long-standing tradition.

Because of his kingly bearing, Nuada’sAwe power causes a desire to swear feal-ty to him, regardless of alignment (DM’sdiscretion for alignment shifting and as-sociated problems). Nuada has a sword,made for him by Goibniu the Smith,which always hits and does 3-30 pointsof damage (plus strength bonus). Hissilver fist strikes as a +4 mace and does2-20 points of damage (plus strengthbonus).

Since Nuada is not the God of War, hisstatistics related specifically to combatabilities have been lowered. His levels asa druid and a bard have been loweredfrom those given in the DDG book, be-cause he is not known for any great skillin these areas. Skill as an assassin is notindicated in legend, nor does it seem tobe appropriate to his character. He hassome minor skills as a magic-user and anillusionist because the Tuatha in generalare described as being highly skilledmagicians. His wisdom is increased to alevel which seems more appropriate forthe king of a pantheon and his charismais increased to accurately reflect thehigh regard and popularity he is said tohave enjoyed.

which was thereupon named “Ogham”in his honor.

Ogma appears as a large man about 40years of age, in excellent physical condi-tion. The percentage chances for his re-warding of talented poets are approp-riate as given in the DDG book, and veryastute, as is the paragraph in this sectionon secret names.

Ogma uses a sword made for him byGoibniu that strikes for 3-36 points ofdamage (plus his strength bonus). Theweapon enables him to fight up to threefoes simultaneously.

D R A G O N 4 9

Renowned for his great healing skillsand compassion, Dian Cecht was afterall a Tuathan, and would not heal hispeople’s enemies if they were woundedin battle against the Tuatha. There is alsothe story which tells of how, in a fit ofjealousy, he murdered his son Miach af-ter being outdone in the matter of Nua-da’s arm. For these reasons, his align-ment should be lawful good instead ofneutral (as given in the DDG book).

During the Second Battle of MagTuired, which the Tuatha fought againstthe deposed Bres and his Fomorian al-lies, Goibniu was able to instantly re-place any Tuathan weapon broken incombat. DM’s should use their ownjudgement on percentage chances that abroken weapon will be so replaced byGoibniu, according to how important thebattle is to the Tuatha or the cause oftrue neutrality. Like that for his brotherDian Cecht, this entry in the DDG bookwas handled very well.

Dian Cecht the healer (top)and his son Cian (bottom).

50 SEPTEMBER 1982

The Isle of Man (Inis Manann) wasnamed for this powerful god, whosename translates as “Sea Son of Wave.”He lives on the island of Emain Ablach(Emain of the Apple Trees), also calledthe Land of Promise, where particularlynoble and heroic Gaels go at death toawait rebirth on Earth. Here Manannanplays host to the dead and to visitinggods and demigods.

Manannan does not swim, but pilotsthe magic ship “Oceansweeper,” whichmoves in any direction regardless ofwind and current, and does not needsails or oars. While he is God of the Sea,he is not limited to that environment, andwanders freely on land. Here he will seekout certain people who have somethinghe wants, and in exchange for that will

Cian, another of Dian Cecht’s sons,plays a secondary part in all but one sto-ry. While he is given no special sphere ofinfluence, the tale (described below)suggests that Cian could comfortably bemade Patron of Fighter-Thieves.

Assigned to guard a magic cow be-longing to Goibniu, Cian is tricked intoleaving his charge by the Fomorian kingBalor, who has shapeshifted to the formof a young boy, and who promptly stealsthe cow. Upon discovering the decep-tion, Cian chases Balor to the shore. Af-ter a brief tug-of-war, Cian regains thecow, but Balor escapes with the cow’smagic halter. This halter was said to con-tain the Luck of the World, and whereverthe halter was, the cow would follow it.Cian swears to Goibniu that he will re-trieve the stolen halter from Balor’s keep,which is on an island far out in the sea.

At the shore, Cian meets an old boat-man, who offers to take him to Balor’sisland in exchange for half of whateverCian brings back from there. Cian agreesto the bargain, and the two embark onthe voyage. The old man gives Cian aring, which he explains will magicallyopen any lock he touches. In gratitude,Cian offers the old man his rich cloak.The old man exchanges cloaks withCian, and tells Cian that the cloak henow has will render him invisible. Aspromised, Cian is able to enter Balor’skeep undetected.

While searching the keep, Cian meetsEthniu, Balor’s daughter. These legendsbeing what they are, Cian is said to havestayed on the island for almost a year,and Ethniu eventually bore a son by him.

Finally, Cian and Ethniu devise andexecute a plan to steal the halter. As they

offer his aid in whatever problem or cri-sis those people may have. He is con-cerned for the welfare of the Gaelic peo-ple, and will occasionally bring Gaelickings to his island to teach them wisdomand justice, and to give them magicitems which will help them in theirrulership.

Manannan’s aspect as a teacher isfurther indicated in that it was he whoraised and trained the great Tuathangod-hero, Lugh. As a teacher, and morespecifically as Lugh’s teacher, Manan-nan should have skill in classes which hewas not given in the DDG book: 20thlevel in both cleric and druid, 23rd leveleach as M-U and illusionist, 18th level asa thief and 20th level as a bard. For thesame reason, his wisdom score shouldbe raised to 24, to match his intelligence.Also recommended is a change in hisalignment, from chaotic neutral to neu-tral good, due to his concern and activeinvolvement for the overall good of themortals in his dominion.

are fleeing to the shore, they are over-taken by Balor and several of his sol-diers. In a terrific battle, Cian slays nineof the Fomorians, but Ethniu is struckdown by a spear and dies at his feet.

Cian slips away under the magic cloak,having retained the halter and the child,and again meets the old boatman at theshore. He reminds Cian of their bargainand demands the child, but promises toraise him as if he were his own son. WhenCian disembarks on his own shore, theold man reveals that he is ManannanMac Lir, and the battered old boat sud-denly becomes Oceansweeper. Cianhands over the boy, now gladly. Incident-ally, the boy’s name was Lugh.

For Cian, the following statistics arerecommended:

ARMOR CLASS: 0MOVE: 12”HIT POINTS: 250NO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon typeSPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 10%SIZE: M (6’ tall)ALIGNMENT: Neutral goodWORSHIPPER’S ALIGN: Neutral good

fighter-thievesSYMBOL: Man in a billowing cloakPLANE: Concordant OppositionFIGHTER: 18th level fighterTHIEF/ASSASSIN: 18th level thiefMONK/BARD: 10th level bardPSIONIC ABILITY: VI

S: 20 (+3,+8) I: 19 W: 19 D: 23C: 20 CH: 20

Cian normally fights with a +3 longsword which strikes for 2-20 points ofdamage, and wears a cloak of invisibility(the one he got from Manannan Mac Lir).

Lugh was raised and trained by Ma-nannan Mac Lir to be the savior of theTuatha. He first appeared by coming tothe door of Nuada’s hall to seek a seat atNuada’s table among the artisans andnobility. When told that every seat wasfilled, he challenged and beat each godin competition in his own craft, therebygaining from Nuada “The Seat of theSage” and the title of Samildanach, “TheMan of Each and Every Art.”

The DDG book calls Lugh a “druidicalideal” and gives him the skill of a 30thlevel druid. Manannan Mac Lir wouldbetter qualify for that title, since he actsas a judge and teacher as well as a fighterand spellcaster. Lugh is most certainly aTuathan ideal, since he has such greatskill in all of the crafts the Tuatha prac-tice. He should not be considered a 30thlevel druid, since the legends do not in-dicate any overwhelming or dispropor-tionate skill for him in this area. He has agreat understanding of druidism, but nogreater than his understanding of com-bat, or smithwork, or baking bread. He isthe archetype of the “jack of all trades,”something of a Tuathan “Renaissanceman.”

ARMOR CLASS: 0MOVE: 15”HIT POINTS: 300NO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-20SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 50%SIZE: M (6’ tall)ALIGNMENT: Neutral goodWORSHIPPER’S ALIGN: Neutral goodSYMBOL: HarpPLANE: Concordant OppositionCLERIC/DRUID: NilFIGHTER: 15th level rangerMAGIC-USER/ILLUSIONIST: 12th level

in eachTHIEF/ASSASSIN: NilMONK/BARD: 20th level bardPSIONIC ABILITY: VIS: 19 (+3, +7) I: 22 W: 22 D: 23C: 20 CH: 23

Previously mentioned briefly as thebard responsible for the satire whichturned Bres’ fortune, Cairbre is a free-spirited sort who usually acts as Nuada’scourt bard. He occasionally performs atManannan’s feasts on Emain Ablach,and is very fond of wandering the earthdisguised as a mortal bard, seeking ad-venture and amusement. He also enjoyschallenging mortal Bards to impromptubardic competitions. Losers of thesecontests usually become the victims of

in each

Cairbre is a lesser god, but is too light-

For carrying out these competitions, Irather like the system proposed by JeffGoelz in the December 1981 (#56) issueof DRAGON’” Magazine. The percen-tage chance to charm of the lower-levelbard is subtracted from that of thehigher-level bard, and percentage rollsare exchanged using the less adeptbard’s regular numbers and the new fig-ure for the more skilled bard. Combat, ofcourse, would continue until one bardprevails over the other. For a competi-tion such as this, six exchanges shouldbe the limit. A round ends in a draw ifneither bard succeeds in making his roll,and also if both bards succeed in makingtheir rolls, since the effects of bothcharms will negate each other. In orderto win, one bard must make his roll andthe other must fail, both in the sameround. If neither bard has won after thesixth round, then the competition endsin a draw.

harmless, if embarrassing, pranks, butthen will be treated to Cairbre’s stock ofTuathan mead and an evening of goodfellowship and lessons in the bardic arts.The rare bard who matches him note fornote — or even wins one of these compe-titions — will be raised halfway throughhis next higher level and also gain Cair-bre’s lifelong friendship, not to mentionconsiderable respect at the court of theTuatha. Evil bards will fare somewhatworse at his hands, and a serious bardiccombat with such an adversary is some-thing else altogether.

Lugh uses a magic spear which pro-tects him from harm while in his hand,always hits, and does 6-36 points ofdamage. He also has a +4 sword whichstrikes for 3-30 points of damage.

THIEF/ASSASSIN: 20th level thiefMONK/BARD: 20th level bard

SYMBOL: Crossed spear and oak leafCLERIC/DRUID: 20th level in eachFIGHTER: 20th level rangerMAGIC-USER/ILLUSIONIST: 20th level

SIZE: M (6’ tall)

Lugh should have equal levels of skillin all applicable classes, to reflect hisgreat proficiency in every craft (exceptthe assassin class, which is not appro-priate to any Tuathan figure). His physi-cal description also warrants revision;no legends indicate a height of sevenfeet, nor do they describe overly longhands or arms, which would be consi-dered a physical deformity. Recallingthe story of Nuada and Bres, it would beunlikely for Lugh, the Tuathan ideal, tobe anything but perfectly formed. Theepithet “Long Arm” ought to be takenfiguratively, not literally, to reflect howhis skills encompass all branches ofknowledge.

Lugh, the Tuathan“Renaissance man” (above);

Cairbre (below),the light-hearted bard.

minded to take seriously things such asholy days, services or sacrifices. Heviews his worshippers with a certainamount of bewildered amusement, think-ing them rather stuffy and silly for ob-serving any sort of religious ceremony,or even for taking him seriously enoughto declare themselves his worshippers.

In combat, he uses a +4 long swordwhich does 2-20 points of damage. Hewears a Tort of the Gods, given to him inhonor of the satire he performed onBres. His harp, like the Dagda’s (thoughnon-sentient), will play the three strainsof Laughter, Sorrow and Sleep (no sav-ing throw), and the lowest bass string,when plucked, will shatter any non-mag-ical weapon within a 10-foot radius. Theharp will inflict 8-64 points of damage onany non-bard or a bard of less than 23rdlevel who tries to play it.

D R A G O N 5 7

For the sake of historical accuracy,Brigit is the triple-aspected daughter ofthe Dagda. One of her aspects is God-dess of Poetry, another is Goddess ofHealing, and the third is Goddess ofSmithwork. However, the concept of atriple-aspected figure can be rather con-fusing, and there is also the obviousproblem of overlapping responsibilitieswith Goibniu and Dian Cecht. In thiscase, the DDG book has presented anadmirable compromise for the figure,especially the concentration on firewhich comes from the smithwork as-pect. She should be played as describedin the DDG text.

Of the rest of the entries in the Celticsection of the DDG book, most can begone over quickly.

Cu Chulain, an Irish hero, is fine aswritten.

Arawn and Math are from the Mabino-gion, a collection of legends from theBrythonic Celts of England and Wales,and do not belong anywhere near theTuatha De Danann.

The Morrigan is the Celtic Goddess ofWar, not specifically Tuathan, thoughshe fought on behalf of the Tuatha at theSecond Battle of Mag Tuired.

The DDG book’s source for Dunatis isa mystery; neither myself nor any of theauthorities I have corresponded with hasever seen a reference to him, though theWelsh Mabinogion gives a brief mentionof someone named Ossol, “under whosefeet the highest mountain straightawaybecame a plain.”

Silvanus is not a Celtic god (the namesounds Roman), though he is obviouslybased on Cerunnos, a universal Celticgod who is the personification of themale aspect of Nature. In one of hisguises, Cerunnos is also Master of theWild Hunt.

52 SEPTEMBER 1982

Cerunnos appears as a large man withthe hooves, legs and antlers of a stag. Hisbody is covered with the fur of a stag,and he wears a short, full beard.

The Horned God is the essence of Na-ture on the Prime Material Plane, andhence cannot be killed. If his physicalbody receives 400 points of damage, hisessence disperses, and he will formanother body in 24 hours.

Like Nature itself, he is absolutely neu-tral, and may sometimes act in whatseems to be a mindless manner. He canbe as violent and unrelenting as thestrongest hurricane, but can also be asgentle as a peaceful morning in May. Hisresponsibility is maintaining the balance

ARMOR CLASS: 0MOVE: 24”HIT POINTS: 400NO. OF ATTACKS: 3DAMAGE/ATTACK: 6-60MAGIC RESISTANCE: 90%SIZE: M (7’ tall)ALIGNMENT: NeutralWORSHIPPER’S ALIGN: NeutralSYMBOL: A circle with a set of antlersPLANE: Prime MaterialCLERIC/DRUID: 35th level druidFIGHTER: 20th level rangerMAGIC-USER/ILLUSIONIST: 20th level

in eachTHIEF/ASSASSIN: NilMONK/BARD: 23rd level bardPSIONIC ABILITY: VIS: 25 (+7, +14) I: 25 W: 25 D: 25C: 25 CH: 25

This entry in the DDG book is a trulywonderful bit of research and imagina-tion, which I thoroughly enjoyed read-ing. I wouldn’t change a bit of it, and onlywish to work Cerunnos into it.

When Cerunnos is on a Hunt, he isinfluenced and driven by a power beyondhis control, which reduces him to a

Brigit (far left), daughterof the Dagda;

Cerunnos (left), the essenceof Nature;

The Wild Hunt (facing page).

of nature, and he will gladly aid or evenwork alongside anyone striving for thisgoal. His charisma is based not so muchon his appearance as it is on his “aura,”which radiates to any creature a comfort-ing sense of what is “natural” and “right”to that creature.

Cerunnos can summon any wildernesscreature to his aid, including those of amagical nature. He is not able to Gatethem in, however, and nearby creaturesappropriate to the terrain must be de-termined by the DM. His summoning hasa five-mile radius.

Cerunnos carries a heavy oaken staffwhich strikes for 6-60 points of damage.His spell casting is instantaneous.

Sharp-eyed readers will note a majordiscrepancy between giving Cerunnosthe power of a 35th level druid and theDDG book’s contention that 30th level orabove is unattainable for any being otherthan Lugh. Saying that 30th level orabove is unattainable sounds like an ar-bitrary decision on someone’s part, and Ican see no reason for it. No explanationof this statement was given. Perhaps itwas only meant as an observation, toimpress the reader with Lugh’s power.Of course, it would (and should) take solong for a player character to gain thatmany experience points that it is proba-bly a moot question. In any event, Cer-unnos is here described as being the es-sence of Nature — Nature personified.He is the physical manifestation of thepower of druidism, and I consider 35thlevel to be a conservative estimate of hispower. Cerunnos is druidism, not just aproponent of it. He is as much a part ofNature as the earth itself.

single-minded and almost berserkerstate. He will not speak until the Hunt isfinished. He will not summon additionalcreatures, depending on his Pack untilkilled, then he will fight alone. He willignore all but the lowest-level of hisspells, preferring to fight hand-to-hand.

This single-mindedness is not a nor-mal condition for him, but Cerunnos canbe just as violent, while retaining fullcontrol of his powers, when in a non-berserk state of mind.

CONCLUSIONSuch are the principal figures in the

Gaelic mythos of the Tuatha De Danann.I have not attempted to deal with everyname mentioned in the legends, and Ihave tried to limit the background histo-ries to a minimum on each figure, usingthem just enough to show the rationalefor the suggested changes. I hope thisarticle will be helpful to players and DMsin a Celtic milieu, and that it may inspirean interest in those who are not.

BIBLIOGRAPHYFolklore of the British Isles, Elenor HullThe White Goddess, Robert GravesWomen of the Celts, Jean MarkaleA Celtic Miscellany, Kenneth JacksonOrigin and Growth of Religion (Celtic

Heathendom), John RhysThe Mystic Arts in Celtic Britain, Charles

SquireThe First Battle of Moytura, J. FraserCeltic Myth and Legend, Charles SquireThe Mysteries of Britain, Lewis SpenceCeltic Mysteries, John SharkeyCeltic Wonder Tales, Ella YoungBattles and Enchantments, Norreys

Jephson O’ConorCeltic Heritage, Alwyn and Brinley ReesFairy Faiths in Celtic Countries,

Evans-WentzTreasury of Irish Folklore,

Padraic ColumThe Golden Bough, James FrazerAncient Irish Tales, Cross and SloverThe Riddle-Master of Hed, Patricia

McKillipThe Welsh Mabinogion, various editions

by various compilers

D R A G O N 5 3

Convention scheduleSUNCOAST SKIRMISHES ’82, Sept. 18-19 — At the HolidayInn Convention Center in Tampa, Fla., sponsored by the Flori-da Historical Gamers. Among the special guests will be DukeSeifried of TSR Hobbies. Contact: Suncoast Skirmishes ’82,4006 Wallace Ave., Tampa FL 33611, phone (813) 831-1762.

MASSCON 1982, Sept. 18-19 — The fourth annual gamingevent sponsored by the University of Massachusetts StrategyGames Club. For more information, contact Dennis Wang, 11Dickinson St., Amherst MA 01002, (413) 253-9472.

BABEL CONFERENCE ’82, Sept. 24-26 — A science-fictionconvention to be held at the Holiday Inn East in Grand Rapids,Mich. For information, send a SASE to Babel Conference ’82,c/o Dave Marshall, 1160 36th St. SW, Wyoming Ml 49509.

AUGURY I, Sept. 25 — A gaming event to take place at AshlandCommunity College in Ashland, Ky. Contact: Jim Thompson,2304½ Sanders Rd., Ashland KY 41101, (606) 324-1801.

TOL-CON ’82, Oct. 2-3 — The Scott Park Campus of the Uni-versity of Toledo is the site for this gaming gathering. For moreinformation, send a SASE to Mind Games, 3001 N. ReynoldsRd., Toledo OH 43615, or call (419) 531-5540 weekdays be-tween 4-8 p.m.

WIN GAMES II, Oct. 8-10 — For details of this convention, writeto the Univ. of Manitoba Wargames Club, Box 80, UniversityCentre, Univ. of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

OCTOCON IV, Oct. 9-10 — Author Roger Zelazny and artistRalph McQuarrie will be the guests of honor at this SF andfantasy event at the El Rancho Tropicana Hotel in Santa Rosa,Calif. Contact: OctoCon, P.O. Box 1824, Santa Rosa CA 95402.

COUNCIL OF THE FIVE NATIONS, Oct. 9-11 — The seventhannual running of this gaming event will take place at theStudio of Bridge and Games in Schenectady, N.Y. For moreinformation, write to the Schenectady Wargamers Association,Studio of Bridge and Games, 1639 Eastern Parkway, Schenec-tady NY 12309, or phone (518) 346-3773.

ROCK-CON 9, Oct. 16-17 — Miniatures, boardgames, role-playing games and dealer booths will highlight this event, to beheld at Rockford Lutheran High School in Rockford, Ill. Fordetails, contact Cliff Wilson, 14425 Hansberry Road, RocktonIL 61072, phone (815) 624-7227.

AKROMINICON, Oct. 22-23 — This SF/fantasy/gaming con-vention will be held in the University of Akron Student Center.Admission for both days is $6 in advance, $8 at the door. Formore information, contact Tim McFadden, 660 Kling St., AkronOH 44311, phone (216) 535-6280.

FALL SCI-FI CONVENTION, Oct. 29-31 — Role-playing gamecompetition is just one of the many attractions at this gathering.The site is Griswold’s Inn in Fullerton, Calif. Memberships are$7.50 each by mail until Oct. 10; admission at the door is $15 forthe weekend. For information, phone (213) 337-7947 or write toFall Sci-Fi Convention, c/o Fantasy Publishing Company, 1855West Main Street, Alhambra CA 91801.

WORLD FANTASY CONVENTION ’82, Oct. 29-31 — To be heldat the Park Plaza Hotel in New Haven, Conn. Guests of honorwill be Peter Straub, Joseph Payne Brennan, and Donald Maitz,with Charles L. Grant as toastmaster. Information is availableby writing to World Fantasy Convention ’82, P.O. Box 8262,Hartford CT 06108.

D R A G O N 5 5

56 SEPTEMBER 1982

L a w o f t h e

l a n dAdvice on makingyour world �legal

by Ed GreenwoodKnow, O traveller, that caravan fees

are high for a good reason: such over-land travel is dangerous. Travel in anyplace is unsafe if one knows not locallaws and those things which underliethem. Fair speech from a survivor shouldnot be taken ill. Wherefore. . .

Adventurers in an AD&D™ world maymeet a fascinating variety of govern-ments, beliefs, and customs if they trav-el. Too often, however, one kingdomseems just like another; all play occurs ina quasi-feudal society that is perhapsbest described as “romantic medieval,”spiced with enough individual freedomto account for widespread trade, partyand individual adventuring, strife, andthe bearing of arms. This is fun and not initself bad, but it can breed monotony androbs a world of the depth and colorwhich is born of making the atmosphereand society of (in my Forgotten Realmscampaign) the imperial city of Water-deep different from the serene, rusticbeauty of Deepingdale far inland.

Religion, politics, customs, govern-ment, laws and their enforcement; all arelinked in describing a society and shouldbe considered together. The DungeonMasters Guide notes (under “Duties, Ex-cises, Fees, Tariffs, Taxes, Tithes, AndTolls” at p.90) those taxes and eccentriclocal (read: nuisance) laws that travelersoften run into problems with, and indeedthese are generally most important inplay — but they should not be devised oraltered in isolation. A DM must alwaysponder the effects of a law or a legalchange, considering all of the elementslisted above which are linked to it. Noone set of “basic” or cornerstone lawscan be offered in an article such as this;each DM must evolve a system thatmatches the elements as they are in thevarious kingdoms of his or her ownworld. What can be of help is a brief tourof the elements involved.

Every land has its laws — whether theyare a code laid down by a court, the de-

cree of a ruler, unwritten trade and trailcustoms, or merely the will of the strong-est being.

AD&D adventurers tend to run afoul ofsuch laws all too frequently, and the DMwho wants to keep player charactersalive (rather than merely having theblackguards hanged for any offense)must inevitably make use of some localsystem of specific punishments.

Such punishments may include any orall of the group including confinement,enforced service or labor, confiscationof property, and infliction of physicalpain. We shall examine these in detailsoon enough.

Travelers are advised to beware of pe-culiar local laws and customs. For ex-ample, “in Ulthar no man may kill a cat.”¹Local religious beliefs may prohibit thespeaking of certain names or the use orwearing of sacred (or accursed) sym-bols, substances, or colors.

If caught and convicted, miscreantswill find the nature and severity of penal-ties varies, depending upon the align-ment of those making judgement and theexisting rules regarding sentencing.Criminals are often specially marked (bydress — or lack of it — and/or symbolsbranded or painted upon the body), andan unwitting stranger whose appearanceresembles that of a criminal may be sur-prised at the treatment he or she receives.

Some large measure of common (or atleast economic) sense can be expectedin the written or stated laws of any area.However, a nation that exists by trade isnot going to have laws that reflect casualor relentless, consistent hostility towardforeigners. On the other hand (again log-ically), such a nation may well have lawsthat prohibit foreigners from acquiringcontrol or ownership of the all-too-scarcesoil, or any vessels of that country. Afurther example of the logic behind moststate or imperial (but not, as we shall see,religious) laws involves a look at capitalpunishment.

All societies have had the death penal-ty, but this is often used only when life isplentiful. A good man-at-arms, years inthe training, is too valuable to kill exceptwhen he is mutinous or must be made anexample of, for some deliberate disobe-dience or other. Slavery was an oft-practiced alternative — instead of onemeal for the dogs, the captor got thelife’s work of a man, usually at the most

dangerous and undesirable tasks.Another solution (and one ideal to a

DM wanting to shift play to a new set-ting) is banishment — the exile of anindividual by order of a ruler or govern-ment. This involves the outlaw taking anoath to leave the country within a statednumber of days. (Refusing to take theoath, before assembled witnesses, usu-ally means the person refusing banish-ment will be put to death.) A banishedperson is usually told what route to takeout of the country and where to leave itsborders.

In medieval England, banished per-sons might be slain by the superstitiouscommoners, and so had to wear a whitegown and carry a cross (signifying thatthey were under the protection of thechurch). Upon reaching the port of de-parture, an exile-to-be had to live on theseashore until ship passage was avail-able. During this wait, the outlaw had todepend on local monks for food and wasrequired to walk into the sea until com-pletely immersed, once a day, under theeyes of the local sheriff.

Outlaws of wealth and influence couldhire a ship to take them and their proper-ty from England, and arrange for futureincome to be sent to them. But thoselacking friends and money were usuallyput aboard a ship by port officials re-gardless of the wishes of the ship’s cap-tain — and were often thrown overboardat sea, put ashore on an island or desert-ed coastline, or enslaved.

When England was at war, banishmentusually proved unworkable. Most out-laws were merely compelled to leave thesettlement where the banishment orderwas served, and thereafter allowed towander free. Most took sanctuary in achurch or abbey (joining a crowd ofthieves and those fallen from politicalfavor who lived on the monks’ dole in allsuch places), or became poachers andhighwaymen in the forests or marshes,like the man made famous in legend asRobin Hood.

A change of government, of course,can put a banished or tied-to-the-sanc-tuary-of-a-church character back in fa-vor — and freedom — again, but in othersituations a church could be more dan-gerous than the palace.

The two most common medieval-eralawmakers (and enforcers) were thechurch and the state. If the latter was one

D R A G O N 5 7

man, his justice was as inconsistent andintemperate as the man himself. If churchand state were one, or if the church had afree hand to dispense its justice, lawstended to be without exception harshand unforgiving. Theocracies (refer tothe Theocracy of the Pale in TSR’sWORLD OF GREYHAWK™ Fantasy Set-ting) are by nature intolerant.

Because religions are based upon be-lief, often belief (“faith”) without sup-porting facts or “real” conditions, reli-gious rules and the enforcement of sametend to be most dangerous. Unfamiliar toa stranger because of this loose connec-tion with reality (and at times, commonsense), such rules are inadvertently con-travened often and with ease. Adherentsof the religion are not easily induced toshow mercy to wrongdoers (and almostnever will they “turn a blind eye” or makeexceptions from holy justice), becausethey believe (often blindly) in their reli-gion. Challenging the religious beliefs ofsuch people is seen by them as a directthreat (and the challenger as an agent ofan opposed religion — “servant of thedevil”) because they have based their loton the religion — and to threaten itthreatens the very meaning and worth oftheir lives.

At the same time, religious judgementsseldom vary from a traditional code, setdown and modified by high priests andextant “holy writings.” The universe pos-

tulated in the AD&D system points to-ward harsh religious punishments, for itassumes a world in which gods of oppos-ing alignments and interests are lockedin continuing conflict through theirworshippers.

Note further that the distance betweencommon sense and some religious doc-trines makes guessing as to specific reli-gious tenets a perilous affair; religionsare often not even self-consistent, letalone consistent with surrounding “real-ity.” Adventurers should be wary of as-suming that followers of a god of theforest will revere trees, for instance; inreligions, nothing “necessarily follows.”

Thus far we have covered two types oflaw: that of the government or ruling au-thority, and religious law. There is a thirdtype of unwritten “law” ignored in mostAD&D play, and it may well be consi-dered the most important: local customs,lore, and beliefs.

In our real world, only in the lasthundred years have customs and folk-lore ceased to be governing forces ineveryday rural life. In medieval timesthey touched upon almost every act infamily and village life, providing the ritu-als, preferred conduct, and rules for ut-most happiness, security, and prosperity.

Dark superstitions and taboos (oftenremnants of fallen, forgotten culturesand religions, divorced from any dis-cernible meaning or reason for being in

the present) abounded — and these lo-cal customs and taboos were often asstrong, or stronger than the laws ofchurch and king.² Outsiders entering acommunity were often regarded withsuspicion for the mere fact that theywere outsiders — in more than one fan-tasy novel the author carefully points outthat “stranger” and “enemy” are one andthe same word in a local language — andany transgression of, suggestions con-trary to, or ridiculing of local customsand taboos they committed won themthe enmity or open hostility of the locals.To threaten the beliefs of a community,as to threaten those of a religion, is tothreaten its very existence — and itsmembers will act accordingly.³

Until rapid, dependable means oftransportation and communication be-come available to all, most dales andother geographically isolated communi-ties will be self-contained, largely cut offfrom the outer world. The fewer travel-ers, the fewer new ideas — and the lesstolerance for differences from local waysand beliefs. The spread of literacy willalso increase tolerance and weaken un-thinking belief in the old ways, but thetenacity of superstitions is shown in ourown society by a great array of supersti-tious sayings that, half-hidden, remaintoday, along with the thinking that goeswith them. This can be illustrated bysuch expressions as “There’s no harm intrying,” which once meant literally that— according to the beliefs of the speaker(and the community) — there was noth-ing wrong or dangerous about the act inquestion.

Many ancient rituals (such as TwelfthNight fires, placing a cake upon thehorns of “the best ox in the stall” to betossed in the air, and baking a hawthornglobe each New Year while last year’sglobe was carried burning over the first-sown wheat) were concerned with thefertility of the farm. Ploughing and pul-ling matches are two of the few suchcustoms that survive to this day. No mat-ter what the fantasy setting, where thereis agriculture there are sure to be ritualsfor the best time to sow and to harvest(such as with the phases of the moon, orin concert with certain weather condi-tions or natural changes like the openingof certain blossoms), and rules to be fol-lowed for avoiding death or ill luck andfor gaining good luck.

The DM, of course, must judge the ac-curacy of such beliefs (such as “neverfell a tree by moonlight”) as far as theparty is concerned. Even if the beliefs areincorrect, the DM should remember thatthey must at least be based on some-thing real or correct.

Such beliefs are not restricted to farm-ers. Blacksmiths held that iron would notweld when lightning was near, althoughthey set out troughs and barrels to catch“storm water,” which they believed par-ticularly effective for tempering iron.

58 SEPTEMBER 1982

Countless other examples can be found.4

Note that local lore and the religioussituation will determine what form of go-vernment is tolerated — and if govern-ment is imposed by force, or becomesunpopular after its establishment, howwell it will be obeyed. Locals may payonly lip service to some laws and taxes,or worse (does anyone remember theBoston Tea Party?).

The support of the ruled (by acceptedcustom and belief) lends stability to agovernment. This in turn allows weakrulers to keep their positions, at least fora time.

Most countries of any size, wealth andinfluence have reached that condition bythe stability of popular (or at least, ac-cepted) rule. In any land where commu-nications and travel are only as fast as agood horse, the government must beboth strong and accepted by the popu-lace — or its rule will extend only as faras the immediate reach of its weapons.

Raw power is, at best, an unstableform of government (and just as shakyfor a legal system). It has a tendency toblow up in the ruler’s face — just askRobespierre.

Many types or structures of govern-ments exist, some of them quite noveI.5

DMs should also remember that the“king” of Aluphin may command mightyhosts of warriors and speak with authori-ty backed by gods, whereas the “king” ofthe adjacent realm of Berdusk may beonly a war leader whose rule extends asfar as the swordpoints of his bodyguards.

Bruce Galloway, in his book FantasyWargaming (Cambridge, Patrick Ste-phens Limited, 1981) reminds us thatthis variance in real power among nobleswith the same title was true in our realworld, too:

English kings were relativelystrong, except during times of roy-al minorities and disputed succes-sion. They held wide personal es-tates, and maintained the nucleusof their own standing army. A net-work of royal officials exercisedjustice and administration evenwithin the lands of their nobles. Bycontrast, the French kings wereweak, little more than primi interpares (“first among equals”) incomparison with strong dukes andcounts. Germany had what mightbe considered impossible — astrong monarch, but also dukesand margraves . . . akin to kingsthemselves. . . Italy, with its patternof city-states and rural duchies ow-ing little or no allegiance to anymonarch, needs different treat-ment again.

Whatever the actual balance of powerwithin a country and between differentcountries — and remember, this is notsomething set in stone by a DM to bestable and unchanging forever; powercan and should shift constantly — those

who rule will control the citizenry (in-cluding player characters) by means oflaws.

Regardless of exactly what laws a DMcreates for his world, they will be brokenby player characters sooner or later (inthe AD&D world, usually sooner), andthen — it’s punishment time.

The forms and aims of enforcementare up to the DM, and must be tailored tomatch the other elements of society ineach local situation. For example, giventhis imaginary example of law enforce-ment, think on what it reveals of the so-ciety of Zeluthin: In that city, politicalprisoners are always strapped to theircell doors, feet off the ground and facinginwards into the darkness, so that thebacks of their heads are visible throughthe barred cell doors. Punishment in Ze-luthin is a delicate art consisting of ma-nipulation of facial, head and neck mus-cles with fingers and long, delicatelycurved and fluted metal instruments —from behind, through the cell door.Strangulation is never employed; it is theheight of coarse bad taste; but much in-formation is extracted by somewhat lessviolent extremes — such as when hungryrats are let in to the darkest corners ofthe cell.

Another city would find Zeluthin’shabits disgusting or criminal; a DM mustcarefully make government laws, localreligions and attitudes consistent.

Some general comments, however,can be made as to how to handle localenforcement forces and prisons — andhow not to handle them.

The discipline and training of localguards/watch/militia/constabulary willdetermine their reactions to any situa-tion. The better the training of the guards,the more difficult will be the lot of adven-turers seeking to dupe or escape them.Trained, experienced guards, for exam-ple, will seldom be in awe of magic, andwill know effective tactics for when theyencounter spellcasters in battle. Expe-rienced guards will leave fewer avenuesfor escape when confining persons —and will take special care of extraordi-nary individuals, such as adventurers. Aparty may find itself stripped — clothescan conceal, or even be, weapons — andthen chained securely to walls in sepa-rate cells (in such a manner that move-ment of hands and speech may be im-possible) and watched over carefully(one to one) by guards who are relievedoften. Unknown to player character pri-soners, a magic-user may be spying onthem through use of Clairvoyance, Clair-audience, ESP and related spells.

Guards with good training and resour-ces may have monsters (war dogs, forexample) which are trained to aid themin fighting intruders/rescuers or inmatesattempting to escape. Too many AD&Dadventures involve a party of player

D R A G O N 5 9

characters sneaking and ambushingtheir way through an unbelievably stupidand unorganized defensive corps whomake no attempt at internal communica-tion. Slain or missing sentries go unno-ticed, and guard patrols walk past orthrough treasures or areas they are sup-posed to be guarding without routinelyexamining their charges (so that partymembers hiding in shadows, behind al-tars, or in dark rooms are undetected).6

The discipline of a guard corps willalso determine its treatment of prison-ers: highly disciplined guards will actaccording to rules, and will respect anylegal rights prisoners are considered tohave. Usually, confiscated goods will becarefully itemized and stored (for returnwhen or if the prisoners are set free),punishment of prisoners confined to aspecial code, and prisoners will (at least)be given food, water, and conditions ofconfinement conducive to survival.7

Guards lacking such discipline maydo anything to prisoners they think theycan get away with — and in the case ofoutlanders without apparent rank or in-fluence, this can include various meansof death-dealing, selling into slavery,and all manner of theft.

Good characters (and players) whoare shocked at this tendency would dowell to remember that the essential dif-ference between a policeman and a pi-rate is how they regard themselves, and

how they are regarded by the populace,in relation to “rightful” authority (localgovernment). The actions of the twotypes are often very similar.

Mention of the attitude and regard ofthe populace brings us to the backboneof local life and character; the ever-moving and changing, vital force behindthe laws, customs, and other elements:politics. In the article “Plan Before YouPlay” (DRAGON™ issue #63), we lookedat politics on a large scale: the tradelinks, tensions and history that shapeempires and denote wasteland and im-poverished areas, viewed broadly upon amap.

But more important in AD&D play isthe to-and-fro of local human interac-tion, the politics of everyday life in a vil-lage or a kingdom. A DRAGON readercan refer to the previous Minarian Le-gends series or the currently runningWorld of Greyhawk columns for excel-lent examples of the large-scale politicsof fantasy worlds, but small-scale poli-tics (beyond Chaosium’s Thieves’ World,which deals with the desert city Sanctu-ary) is something each DM must deviseon his or her own.

Development of local politics will giveany campaign depth and believability,and at the same time create reasons andimpetus for characters to undertake ad-ventures (and players to role-play). Makea world seem real, so that what occurs

matters to the players, and you will makeplay far more enjoyable and memorable— and a DM owes it to his or her playersto give them an active, living world toengage their interest, rather than a color-ful background of artificial, lifeless im-mobility through which characters areallowed to rampage.

This latter condition in a campaigndooms play to eventual boredom, untilthe playing activity ceases altogether. Ifthe setting has no interest for the play-ers, no apparent life of its own, it must becontinually fed with the energy and ex-citement of new characters and charac-ter classes, new treasures, new monstersand magic and traps . . . and when theplayers grow jaded or the DM runs out ofideas, the whole campaign runs down.Even the gaudiest trappings cannot sus-tain interest; one grows used to thronerooms if one is a fighter in the party thatconquers one kingdom after another,just as one grows used to dark cavernsand locked chambers underground ifone lives like a mole, in an endless dun-geon with nothing to do but fight.

If a DM does not have the time or likingfor careful crafting of local politics, his-tory, a cast of characters, and the like, asimple solution is to sketch out the basichistory and geography of a region, andbegin play within its borders, in the midstof a civil war.

The disorder, lawlessness, and intrigue

60 SEPTEMBER 1982

such a setting offers will get a party off toa good (exciting and offering wide expe-rience in fighting) start. Players shouldbe forced to take sides and become in-volved; fantasy readers may recall theexcitement of Roger Zelazny’s five-vol-ume Amber series, which was primarily afamily struggle for control of a multi-verse. From such a rocky start, play canshift into more conventional AD&D terri-tory, perhaps with involvement in the in-trigue and politics of a large city withwarring guilds and the like and eventual-ly, when the successful, experiencedplayers seem ready for it, player charac-ters may have a crack at gaining controlof their own territory.

This territory should be small, so that aDM can concentrate on individual NPCsto make the place seem real, and soplayers can identify with their holding— seeing it as a specific region with itsown character and beauty — and at thesame time seek to expand it. The DMshould also ensure that the players act tokeep their lands, becoming involved intrade and diplomacy as well as battle.The notion that lands are a rosy sourceof revenue, which novice players mayget from the Players Handbook (i.e., a9th level fighter who establishes a free-hold can automatically and effortlesslycollect 7 silver pieces per month from“each and every inhabitant of the free-hold due to trade, tariffs, and taxes”),

must be quickly dispelled. Governing iswork, and a DM should see that thosewho enjoy such work are happy in theirthrones, and those who are not cannotsafely delegate the tasks of ruling to oth-ers if they wish to retain power for long.

Few medieval rulers were rich, in cashterms, and fewer still spent most of thetaxes they collected on living high; rath-er, most of a ruler’s money was neededto cover military expenses (the training,outfitting, boarding, and salaries of anystanding army, plus militia and/or mer-cenaries), and the repair, expansion andaddition of ships, buildings, and fortifi-cations. Trade and the support of inno-vations in industry and medicine areother areas of expenditure a ruler shouldkeep in mind.

Even if a lord finds his subjects happy,no priesthoods or guilds opposed to hisrule and no apparent problems, he canalways find something like this affixed tohis castle door one morning:

To Doust Sulwood,resident in Shadowdale:

Recently I have learned that youhave taken the title, authority,and lands that are rightfully mine.Shadowdale has been my family’ssince the death of the lord Joadath,sixty winters ago. I shall come formy throne ere spring. If you thinkyour claim stronger than mine,send word back — or I shall come

with force of arms to take backwhat is mine.

Lord Lyranof the family Nanther,

MelvauntThis sample letter is from my cam-

paign; the players do not (yet) knowwhether “Lord Lyran” is a pretender or alegitimate claimant to the lordship ofShadowdale (local history is incompleteand contradictory on the subject). Aquick look at Doust Sulwood, the Lord ofShadowdale (a player character), andhis plateful of problems will demonstratethe depth, excitement, and constant ad-ventures generated in a campaign by lo-cal society and politics.

Doust Sulwood is lord of a farmingcommunity surrounded and largely iso-lated by elven-inhabited woods. It is astop on a major overland trade road, andhas successful, if unspectacular, localindustry (a weaver, a smith, a wagon-maker/woodworker, and of course aninn). Doust has a few local problems:collecting taxes (the dalefolk had beenwithout a lord or taxes for some yearsbefore his arrival), settling local feudsand ferreting out a lycanthrope amongthe townsfolk, and dealing with incum-bent power groups: a band of adventur-ers (all more powerful than the players,and used to being the local championsand heroes); the Circle (a group of druidsand rangers who work with the elves to

DRAGON 67

preserve the forest against fire and farmexpansion); and a few powerful solitaryNPCs who could topple his lordship ifthey decided against him. All of thesepower groups have their own interests,and all of the them have more personalpower than the Lord and his party. Boththe elves and the druids have (playercharacter) representatives/spies in theparty.

From outside the dale there are influ-ences too. Many nearby rulers and priest-hoods have, or are about to, send envoysto Lord Doust, seeking (nay, demandingand often bribing or threatening) allian-ces, allowances of free trade and thepowers to establish temples and tithe thepopulace. At least two dale lords are eye-ing Shadowdale as a possible addition totheir own lands — and the player charac-ters have made special enemies of a se-cretive network of evil mages and clericswho wish to control all overland tradebetween the rich coastal cities and thelands about the Inland Sea. Shadowdaleoccupies a strategic location on the car-avan route, and the party has — at firstunwittingly, and then in careful self-defense — slain many members of thisevil “network.” Party members have alsodied in the running battle, and with thespring thaws their surviving comradesmay face a network-sponsored army in-vading the dale. At the same time, thedrow — now apparently allied with somegithyanki — seem to be stirring in thedepths. Lord Doust’s tower was built bythe drow, and it once guarded the en-trances to their vast subterranean realms.The dark elves were driven into thedepths over a hundred winters ago, andthe exits were blocked. Now they seemto be returning, and have kidnapped oneof the dalefolk (which the party subse-quently rescued) to learn details of so-ciety and property in the dale.

To Doust’s ears also comes a constantflow of news about current events, com-ing to Shadowdale via caravan, and theparty can learn much of movements andpolitical actions by careful attention toand interpretation of the “current newsdaleside.”

All of the aforementioned conflictsand challenges come to the party, madeup of characters with personal problemsand interests of their own. In Lord Doust’scase, he is a cleric of Tyche, the goddessof luck, who wants her followers to leaddaring, chancy lives. This was an easycreed to follow when Doust was a land-less adventurer; but now, when he wishesto build his strength and act with cautionand deliberation in the face of all thesedangers and demands, he finds himselftorn between Tyche’s dictates (which hemust follow if he expects the goddess to

grant him spells, and if he wishes to risein her service; that is, gain levels) and hisown enjoyment of adventure, and thenecessary prudence of a ruler in such adelicate and dangerous situation.

6 2 SEPTEMBER 1982

Such playing conditions make for ex-citement and good role-playing. Playersare interested in the campaign becauseevery adventure becomes (through causeand effect) important, not just in terms oftreasure and experience gained, but interms of social consequences. Moreov-er, with such a lot going on, the interac-tion of players and NPCs generates ad-ventures; there is always somethingmeaningful to do. This sense of purposeserves to sustain interest over lengthycampaign play, makes the fantasy set-ting seem more real, and makes success-ful play more satisfying: Players gain areal sense of accomplishment when theycomplete sticky diplomatic negotiations,gain allies, find a path through intrigue,or destroy long-standing foes. And inthis increased enjoyment of play lies thereal value of such an approach to theAD&D game.

It may seem odd to increase the en-joyment of fantasy role-playing by in-creasing the problems and difficulties ofthe setting (so that it seems you’re not

. . . the escalation oftreasure, monsters andcharacter experience

will ruin a campaign . . .a world requires careful

attention to NPCactivity, so that playercharacters are not the

only source of action inan otherwise lifeless

backdrop.

role-playing at all, but still in our realworld battling banks and taxes andcomputer mistakes and boneheaded bu-reaucracy), but it works. Bigger andmore scaly monsters, flashier magicaltreasures, and wittier, nastier traps areexciting — for a while. But the escalationof treasure, monsters and character expe-rience such an approach causes will ruina campaign even before boredom setsin.

To handle a world requires careful at-tention to NPC activity (both groups andindividuals), so that player charactersare not the only source of action in anotherwise lifeless backdrop. If this isdone carelessly or with too heavy ahand, the result is the familiar “carrotand cattle prod” approach to stirringplayers into action. Treasure, fame andpower are the carrots players pursue;hostile armies, hungry monsters, andvarious enemies in turn pursue the play-ers, serving as the prod that forces themto react. The nickname of this techniquecomes from the unsubtle way in which

many DMs use a world in play — andsuch overmanipulation quickly soursplayers who feel that, rather than playingthe roles of adventurers, they are por-traying helpless pawns at the mercy of avindictive god. DMs who believe that thisis precisely how players should feel willprobably have stopped reading this arti-cle long ago. DMs who find enjoyment increating a fantasy world they can shareand delight in with other people will, Ihope, find what has been said hereuseful.

Notes1 — H.P. Lovecraft, The Dream-Quest

of Unknown Kadath, published in pa-perback by Ballantine, 1970 (and recent-ly reprinted), p. 8. A similar law is in ef-fect in Rome today.

2 — The strength of such beliefs as acode of behavior is illustrated by a Latinphrase known in modern legal practice:Multa non vetat lex, quae tamen tacitedamnavit, which translates to “Somethings are not forbidden that are none-theless silently condemned.”

3 — In his excellent study of fantasy,Imaginary Worlds (Ballantine, 1973), LinCarter reports one of master fantasy wri-ter Lord Dunsany’s touches of realism:the human nature displayed by the ar-chers of Tor, who shoot arrows of ivoryat strangers, lest any foreigner shouldcome to change their laws — which arebad laws, but not to be altered by mereforeigners. Another chapter in ImaginaryWorlds, entitled “On World-Making,” isessential reading for DMs who have notextensively explored fantasy literature.Carter discusses the “sound” and suita-bility of fantastic names, as well as pro-viding a fast, logical geography lesson.

4 — On the shelves of most librariesone can find books dealing with localcustoms and tradition. One example isFolklore and Customs of Rural England(by Margaret Baker; London, David &Charles [Holdings] Limited, 1974), whichis chock full of readily usable local lore— but there are many similar sources.

5 — For types of government, refer tothe DMG and D&D® module X-1, TheIsle of Dread, and to L. Sprague deCamp’s The Goblin Tower (New York,Pyramid Books, 1968) and its sequel,The Clocks of Iraz.

6 — Movie buffs may recall the scenesin Monty Python’s Life of Brian in whichat least a dozen Roman guards repeated-ly search a small set of apartments with-out detecting the Judean resistancefighters, who stand behind tapestries,crawl under the tables, and dive intowicker baskets in attempts to hide — andof course remain in full view all the time.

7 — These will include light, ventila-tion, sanitary facilities, the dignity of pri-son clothing or the right to retain one’sown clothing, acceptable or even com-fortable temperatures, and a relativelyquiet, odor-free environment.

W A R !Conflicts providecharacters with

reasons to �live�The original conception of alignment

in fantasy role-playing, as expressed inthe DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® rules —Law, Neutral, and Chaos only, without aGood-Evil access but with Law tendingto be good and Chaos tending to be evil— has often been criticized as too simpleto adequately reflect the diverse motivesone finds in any human population. Butthe introduction of alignment, an ideanot found in earlier wargames, did ac-complish what may have been its pri-mary purpose: to set the stage for thepolitical, social, philosophical, and reli-gious conflicts which gave characters areason for adventuring other than merelust for blood and gold.

When I first played and read the D&D®

rules, there was no doubt in my mind thatconflicts of this sort would dominate ev-erything. Perhaps those who had notread Michael Moorcock’s Elric series,from which the idea of alignment couldhave been derived, could not appreciatethe intent. At any rate, in many of thoseearly D&D worlds, where players ex-plored “dungeons” and cared nothingabout the rest of the world, the idea oflarge-scale conflicts was neither needednor heeded, and every character tendedto act neutrally, whatever his or her nom-inal alignment.

Yet when you come to creating a worldor part of a world for your campaign, nomatter what game rules are used, youmust start to think about motivations andabout the struggles which dominate orhighlight the area where the player char-acters live. As players gain experiencethey want more than a run through a

by Lewis Pulsipherdungeon, the very existence of which isprobably unexplained and most likelyinexplicable.

In particular, when a Good/Evil align-ment axis is part of the game, you willhave to explain to those who sincerelyplay good-aligned characters why theircharacters ‘spend much of their adven-turing time exterminating living beings.Players of the older persuasion, the “Bethee for Law or be thee for Chaos?”crowd, don’t need explanations: theyknow that, even if much of the worldseems to be at peace, the conflicts neverreally end, and Evil (the new substitutefor Chaos) must be destroyed! But therest will undoubtedly enjoy the gamemore and believe in it more if there issome Important Struggle in which theycan participate, if only on the fringes.Moreover, the very existence of thisstruggle can help you devise new adven-tures, as well as helping you persuadethe players to embark on quests. Thestruggle isn’t necessary, but its existencewill certainly improve a campaign.

The purpose of the rest of this article isto describe some Important Struggleswhich might affect your world. Of course,it is possible to change from one strug-gle to another as time passes, dependingon how catastrophic you allow the oldconflict to become. A war between twocountries is the simplest example of anImportant Struggle which can be endedquickly and cleanly by a victory, thedeath of a leader, or some other non-obvious deus ex machina. On the otherhand, the religious war is unlikely to endwithout an apocalyptic battle among the

gods, a la Moorcock, although the warmay become a sitzkrieg for a while as allsides regroup their forces.

The five principal types of ImportantStruggles are described below in orderof likely length, from longest to shortest.Intensity might be related to length,since the more intense struggle is likelyto exhaust all participants sooner thanthe less intense, but intensity is some-thing the referee can manipulate withrelative ease.

Religious warAs mentioned above, the religious war

is likely to be very long, though not at alltimes bloody. In a game world that usesdeities, it is almost certain that the reli-gious war will be instigated by the dei-ties, though minor struggles might besolely the work of megalomaniacal orfanatic priests or rulers. The term “reli-gious war” doesn’t mean a kind of con-flict between princes and high priests togain political advantages, or to subduecompeting religions. It defines a war ofextermination, in which adventurers actas the agents of their deities. Most likelythe deities do not participate directly, un-less the potential benefit far outweighsthe risk, but they communicate with thegreat men and women of the land andrequire their devoted followers to workincessantly toward the goal of defeatingthe enemy. In a way, the war is a contin-uous, perhaps never-ending Crusade,with no quarter asked and none given. Inmost cases it will be Good against Evilrather than Law against Chaos, if formalalignments are used, but complications

D R A G O N 6 3

can certainly arise. Some true neutraldeities — if any exist — may attempt tomaintain a balance, while others will tryto ignore the whole thing; the same canbe said for true neutral people. Perhapsthe deities and their followers will have adistinct objective, such as obtainingsome artifact left behind by the ElderGods (now thought to be dead). InMoorcock, where the “Cosmic Balance”is personified, the objective of both Lawand Chaos was the complete destructionof the opposition so that their way coulddominate the world; and along with that,the Cosmic Balance itself had to bedestroyed.

Now this kind of religious war may bealtogether too overwhelming for yourtaste, and understandably so. It requiresfrom the deities an interest in men’s af-fairs greater than some are willing tocredit to them, even though the deitiesneed not intervene directly on the mate-rial plane. One might put this kind of warin the background of a campaign —though I can hardly believe that therewould be no competition at all — anddeal with lesser struggles.

Racial conflictIn this category, there’s always the old

standby, orcs vs. dwarves or elves. Butother races may become involved in waragainst each other. The goblinoid racesas a whole could be at war with humans

and similar species such as elves. Orsome race relatively less prominent inmost worlds, such as ogres, might in-stead be very numerous in a particularmilieu, and at war with humans.

Probably most satisfying is to developadversary races more capable than thegoblinoids, perhaps a race able to usemagic. The drow (dark elves) used insome D&D modules are of this category.Then the racial war really amounts tosomething, because the non-human raceneedn’t rely solely on numbers in orderto give the humans problems.

Of course, some humans are going toprefer to cooperate with the enemy rath-er than with the establishment (whateverthat might be); one could even arrangethings so that the adversary race seems amore deserving winner than the humans,as in Moorcock’s Eternal Champion. Or,humans need not be directly involved, asin the struggle between dwarves andorcs. As long as the two races engagedare numerous or powerful, there are op-portunities for small groups of humans— the adventurers — to be drawn intothe conflict. In general, the larger thenumber of intelligent races you have inyour world, the greater the chance of aracial conflict of major proportions.

HeresyThe next struggle again returns to the

topic of religion, but only within an area

dominated by one organized sect. This isthe struggle between an orthodox estab-lishment and heretics — that is, thosewho profess to worship the same god butwho do so in a manner condemned bythe establishment.

If the religious establishment has thesupport of the political state — or gov-erns the state — then it can persecute theheretics without fear of retribution fromthe law. This situation can be particular-ly interesting when the establishmentseems to be reprehensible in some way,so that many of the player characters areseen by the establishment as heretics.

It is possible for an entire religious or-ganization to fall away from the deity’s“true path” (there are many examples inrecent history), so that a group profess-ing to worship a lawful good deity mightactually be lawful neutral. The deity willrecognize this, and refuse to deal withthe establishment, but the commonpeople won’t realize it, or be able to doanything about it if they do. The estab-lishment will go on collecting tithes,building temples, and persecuting here-tics. (It is left to the reader to decidewhether any church which professes tobe Good could condone persecution ofheretics; certainly, it would seem, minorheresy would have to be tolerated, if notapproved, even in a lawful good church.At worst, the church might exclude mi-nor heretics from its formal worship.)

64 SEPTEMBER

This is a type of conflict good for put-ting players in unusual situations, andone which you can heat up or cool downas you wish, merely through a change inchurch leadership or a change of heartby a church’s ecumenical council (orwhatever body determines church poli-cy). It’s also a struggle which can beconducted simultaneously with some ofthe others.

Internal political struggleIt’s not only in matters of religion or

race that intelligent beings can have dis-agreements. In the political sphere, onecan find a country’s nobles aligned in apower struggle against the monarch andhis or her supporters. This can also takethe modified form of a three-way strug-gle, among the nobles on one hand, adivine emperor on the second, and ashogun (de facto dictator or warlord) onthe third, as in medieval Japan.

The emperor is too sacred to beharmed, but there is a struggle to ar-range the succession. The emperor triesto gain support from the nobles in orderto regain rule of the country. The nobles,meanwhile, want to rule their domainswithout interference from any centralgovernment (though some may arrangethis by selling their support to the sho-gun in return for a free hand at home).

Depending on the commercial and in-dustrial level of the area, other factions

may become involved: the middle class,guilds, or the professional army, for in-stance. The situation can be beautifullyconfused and confusing, and the playerscan be frequently faced with decisionswhich may affect their characters’ stand-ing with one political group or another.Insofar as the situation is more than two-sided, however, it is somewhat harder torun effectively than some of the otherconflicts discussed above.

Many political struggles have econom-ic components or roots; in some casesthere may be no armed struggle at all,except covertly, but player characterscan be profoundly affected nonetheless.

A somewhat different form of politicalstruggle within a country is modeled onthe old Persian Empire. A local governor(satrap) might attempt to raise a rebel-lion against the emperor, probably tooverthrow him, possibly to form an inde-pendent nation. If the distances involvedare great enough (requiring a quite largeempire so that communication by horsetakes weeks) this struggle can go on forseveral years. And more than one satrapmight rebel, of course. The player char-acters, caught in the middle, must de-cide whether to try to ignore the conflict— which would be difficult unless theyleave the empire — or to support thesatrap or the emperor. If they whole-

heartedly support the eventual victor,this could be their opportunity to beawarded land for a barony.

War between statesFinally, there’s the good, old-fashioned

war between two countries. This will bemore interesting if the player charactersare living in a country where they areforeigners, or which they dislike (or aredisliked in) for some reason. Do theyabandon their friends and associates tomove to another country at war with thefirst one? Do they stay and risk becom-ing involved fighting for a country theydislike?

As an alternative, the player charac-ters might live in a border area, while thetwo warring countries lie just beyond theborder. Do the characters sympathizewith one country enough to help itagainst the other? Do they mind theirown business — or at least try to? Doesone country try to hire them for espion-age or other intelligence operations?Will the government in their area of resi-dence allow them to become involved?

When you create a world, as opposedto a dungeon-plus-village environment,keep the Important Struggle idea inmind. This approach to game masteringcan add motivation and meaning to acampaign beyond the “usual” thieveryand purposeless violence.

D R A G O N 6 5

T h a t ' s n op i z z a — — i t ' st h e P o n g p a p e r s !

by James (Pong) Thompson til the enemy’s ambush, and they oftenas reported by “Agent X” die with confident smiles on their faces.

retribution. One small problem is that it

To enter hostile territory undetected isis sometimes hard to verify the kill.

(Agent’s note: While sifting through vital; an assassin’s main weapon is sur-Someone else might accidentally set offthe booby trap or drink the poisoned

the garbage can behind the agencywhere the TOPSECRET® game is made,I discovered this unshredded documenthidden inside an empty pizza box. Afterscraping off some tomato paste, cheese,and Canadian bacon, I was able to clear-ly read most of the contents of the doc-ument. The author of this paper is noneother than the infamous James Pong.Apparently Merle M. Rasmussen, theAdministrator, asked Pong to write ashort guide for those in the assassina-tion bureau. How these papers ended upin the trash is hard to determine, but thevalue of the message is unquestioned.)

FOREWORDI am James Pong, the most skilled and

experienced assassin in the world. I cur-rently serve as the personal bodyguardof Merle Rasmussen, the Administrator.He has noticed that new agents some-times lack imagination in carrying outtheir missions. Rather then let them con-tinue in this fashion, he asked me to jotdown some helpful hints. I quietly point-ed out that I was an assassin and not awriter, and that nobody taught me howto work with such impressive efficiency.Merle tiredly nodded his head and saidhe would do the writing instead, exceptthat now with this added workload, hedidn’t know when he would have time tocover up that Minden affair— and there-by keep me out of the hands of the localauthorities. At that juncture, I becamevery agreeable. The notes that follow aremy way of passing along valuable tips fornew agents — and keeping my tail out ofjail at the same time.

ReconnaissanceOne thing I’ve noticed is that new

agents do not reconnoiter enough — if atall. I cannot count the times I have seen ateam walk straight up to the front door ofa complex, kick it in or blow it up, andthen go right in. Usually the team mem-bers are very proud of themselves forpenetrating so easily; this pride lasts un-

prise, and surprise cannot be maintainedby blowing up the front door. Whenchecking out a building, do not just walkaround it; check out the adjacent build-ings, the roof, and even the sewer systemof the area. Not only might an agent dis-cover a way to gain entry undetected, hemay ascertain a method of carrying outthe mission without endangering himself.

In order to evaluate an enemy’s posi-tion, it is important to determine thequality of its defenses: the sophisticationof the alarm system, the number andquality of both guards and guard ani-mals, and also whether the local policewill interfere. These factors, which are sooften ignored, will always affect the out-come of a mission. Only after thoroughlyreconnoitering the enemy will the expe-rienced agent proceed in developing aplan of attack.

Methods of assassinationThere are two main types of assassina-

tion, direct and indirect. A direct attack isone where the assassin is the obviousand immediate cause of the victim’sdeath. The assassin pulls the trigger,plunges the knife, or delivers the karatechop. Since the agent is immediately in-volved, he can easily determine whetherthe victim has actually died. One disad-vantage of the direct method is that theagent is in the vicinity of the execution.Innocent bystanders can witness the as-sassination or naively try to prevent thesuccess of the mission. If the intendedvictim is forewarned, he will run — orworse, he will fight back. The direct meth-od is more dangerous than the indirect,but usually quicker, and its results aremore certain.

Most agents ignore the benefits andadvantages of the indirect method. Thismethod enables the agent to leave thevicinity of the mission entirely, or towatch unobserved from a safe distance.There is no immediate and obvious linkbetween the assassin and the victim, andthe agent is in no danger of immediate

drink; the person coerced or conned intokilling the intended victim may kill thewrong person or fail utterly. An agentusing the indirect method must “returnto the scene” at some point and verifythat the intended victim actually died.Sometimes verifying a kill after the fact isas easy as checking the obituaries in themorning paper, and other times it is vir-tually impossible.

Assassinations by the indirect methodcan be divided into two subcategories:those using booby traps and those usingintermediaries. Booby traps are devicesdesigned to be activated by some actionof the intended victim: lifting a coattriggers a bomb, stepping onto a carpetfills the room with poison gas, or open-ing a briefcase ejects a knife at highspeed toward the chest of the intendedvictim. The danger, as mentioned be-fore, is that the booby trap will kill thewrong person by accident and warn theintended target that his life is in danger.If the booby trap does kill the wrong per-son or fails to kill the target, then at-tempting to verify the kill may endangerthe agent.

For the second category, there areseveral ways an agent may procure anintermediary. He may pay, con, or coercean intermediary to kill for him. An agentwho hires someone else to do his killingwill not last long as an assassin. Not onlyis such an act a danger to security, but ifthe agent’s administrator finds out, theagent may find his hired hand is nowbeing paid by the agent’s administratorto kill the agent himself (refer to AgentWilby ZL189).

Getting someone to kill another per-son by conning the intermediary into do-ing it is effective; however, it can only beused on certain rare occasions. In all myyears of experience, I have only used thismethod once. An enemy agent escapedone of my ambushes even though he wasseriously wounded. I traced him to a lo-cal hospital, and disguised as a doctor Ientered his room and convinced the

66 SEPTEMBER 1982

TOP SECRETguard to help me restrain the “convuls-ing” patient while the nurse adminis-tered the “sedative.” There is no denyingthat the guard and the nurse were gulli-ble; lying to an innocent bystander to getaid in an assassination rarely works —and almost never works as well as it didin this example.

Coercing someone into killing is atechnique I have personally used to greateffect. My usual method is to strap abomb to the chest of an innocent by-stander and hold the remote control inmy hand. This person is now my slave,willing to do anything I wish; he will killfor me, or perform other tasks I wouldconsider too dangerous to do myself.Often all I ask is for him to meet myintended target face to face; I then blastmy target, the person strapped to thebomb, and anyone else within a half-block radius into various assorted sizes.

Of course, there are many other waysto coerce someone to kill: blackmail,kidnapping, threatening loved ones,brainwashing. Care must be taken inapplying these methods, since they arealmost always highly illegal. An agentmust make certain the person he iscoercing is sufficiently convinced thathe has no other option but to do what heis told. A person with only one option isboth a slave and a weapon; a person with

more than one option is a threat.

PenetrationOnce reconnaissance is complete and

the method of assassination has beendetermined, penetrating the defenses ofthe enemy is the necessary next step.When the assassination is of the directtype, there are three ways it can be car-ried out: the combat method, the com-mando method, and the disguise method.

The combat method should only beused when the assassin or the team isfairly certain that their firepower exceedsthat of the target and his friends. Also,this method should only be used whentime is a major limiting factor and aproper reconnaissance and plan of at-tack cannot be organized.

Simply, the combat method is the as-sassin or team charging through the de-fenses straight toward the target. Lossesare expected but predicted to be min-imal; the priority is on executing thetarget, not the welfare of the assassin orhis team. Fellow agents, if placed on oneof these “suicide squads,” should makesure the possible sacrifice is worth thepotential gain from the success of themission. Personally, I’d never volunteerfor this kind of task.

The commando method is the mostcommon way of penetrating the enemy’sdefenses. The assassin attempts to sneakby guards unseen, to bypass or nullifyelectrical and mechanical alarm systems,and then (when he gets close enough tothe target) kill. Ideally, he will kill histarget unnoticed by the guards and willbe able to sneak out the way he came inor by another planned route. If not, hemust fight his way out.

A careful and detailed reconnaissanceis necessary for a smooth commandooperation. There cannot be too muchplanning in an assassination of this type.Each second should be accounted for,from the initial penetration of the target’sdefenses to the culmination of the actand (assuming some resistance will re-

main after the target has been killed)through the escape.

While the target is in transit, not takingfull advantage of the defenses he wouldhave if he were stationary, he is morevulnerable, which makes this a moreideal time to attack. The team may find itbest to flush the target out if his defensesare too strong. One simple way of doingthis is to split the team into two parts andsend one half in to chase the target out,while the other half waits outside thedefensive perimeter to do the killing.Another way is to set off a bomb, or starta fire, flood, or some other catastropheto scare the target away from his de-fenses. The main disadvantage in thistactic is that the target may never beconvinced to leave his fortress, and theattempt to flush him out may give him allthe more reason to stay locked up.

The disguise method works well incertain situations, but it does have someserious flaws. In many cases, no matterhow good his disguise, the agent will besearched and have weapons found onhis person removed. This would leavethe disguised assassin with only thosevery concealable weapons that wouldnot be found by a search, and his barehands. Also, no matter how good thedisguise and the fake identification,there is always a chance they will beseen through, or at least checked out.The only thing a disguise does is put theagent in the proximity of his target, usu-ally for a very short time. Therefore, theagent must work fast. Again, meticulousreconnaissance is necessary to improvethe chance of success. Particular atten-tion must be paid to the escape, once thevictim is assassinated, because usuallythe assassin’s cover will soon be blown.

EscapeIt is a general rule that the more sloppy

an assassin is, the more difficult his es-cape will be. Ideally, an assassin wouldkill his target undetected and would notneed to escape. However, even the mostcarefully planned assassination can runafoul, so the need for an escape route ispart of every mission.

A good escape route will take the as-sassin from the place of the assassina-tion to a place of safety without beingdetected by the enemy. It should providefor alternate routes in case the agent isbeing followed and cannot shake hispursuers. Many times. . .

(Agent’s note: Unfortunately, this iswhere the document ends. I do not knowwhether Pong ever finished the article,or whether Rasmussen kept the rest. Iwill continue searching the garbage canbehind their headquarters at regular in-tervals just in case.)

D R A G O N 6 7

UP ON AS O A P B O X

In gaming, your style will tellby Lewis Pulsipher

When gamers discuss their preferen-ces they usually concentrate on the pur-pose behind a game design, the realism(simulation) vs. playability question.Should the game be designed primarilyto reflect/reproduce history — even amade-up history such as a science fic-tion novel? Or should history be subor-dinated to the need for an interesting,easy-to-play game?

In other words, players talk aboutgame styles, not playing styles. Thiscould be because many gamers are in-different players, content to play a gamea few times and then put it aside ratherthan attempt to learn the best moves andstrategies. With hundreds of games onthe market, this attitude isn’t surprising.But two basic game-playing styles doexist, no matter the game being played.

Harkening back to the well-knownnineteenth century distinction in music,painting, and other arts, I call the twostyles the Classical and the Romantic.The perfect Classical player tries to knoweach game inside out. He wants to learnthe best countermove to every move hisopponent might make. He takes nothingfor granted, paying attention to little de-tails which probably won’t matter mostof the time, but which in certain casescould be important. He dislikes risks —not that he never takes risks, but he pref-ers a slow-but-steady, certain win to aquick but only probable attempt at victo-ry. He tries not to be overcautious, how-ever, for fear of becoming predictable.He tries to maximize his minimum gaineach turn — as the “perfect player” ofmathematical game theory is expectedto do — rather than make moves andattacks which could gain a lot but mightleave him worse off than when he started.

A cliche among football fans is that thebest teams win by making fewer mis-takes, letting the other team beat itself.So it is with the Classical wargamer, whoconcentrates on eliminating errors rath-er than on discovering brilliant coups.When a less than top-class player tries to

68 SEPTEMBER 1982

play classically he can be predictable,unimaginative, overcautious; he won’tget clobbered, but he may find himselfconsistently falling short of victory. Apoor player who wants to play classicallytends to let his pieces mill around, ac-complishing very little. He just doesn’tknow how to get started, so he playsultra-cautiously and goes nowhere.

The perfect Romantic looks for thedecisive blow that will cripple his enemy,psychologically if not physically (on theboard). He wishes to convince his oppo-nent of the inevitability of defeat; in somecases, a player with a still-tenable posi-tion will resign a game to a Romanticopponent when he has been beatenpsychologically.

The Romantic is willing to take a risk inorder to disrupt enemy plans and throwthe game into a line of play his opponentis unfamiliar with. He looks for opportun-ities for a big gain, rather than “only”trying to maximize his minimum gain. Aflamboyant (but at best only probable)win is his goal. He may make mistakes,but he hopes to seize victory rather thanwait for the enemy to beat himself. TheRomantic player tends to be a little slop-py about seemingly minor details; if hegets in his decisive blow(s), he won’tneed to worry about little things — and ifhis big coups fail, those little thingswon’t make a difference in the overallresult. When a less than top-class playertries the Romantic style he tends to at-tack a lot, taking risks without good rea-son. Usually the risks will catch up withhim. A poor Romantic player specializesin banzai charges, forced marches, sin-gle-handed attacks, and dissipation ofeffort and strength to no good purpose.

Some examples and further explica-tion are desirable. Chess is a gamewhich leans to the Classical approach,epitomized by the style of AmericanBobby Fischer and all Russian players ingeneral. But Romantics play the game,too. Some years ago Fischer met BentLarsen in a match to determine whowould go on to the next round of theWorld Championship elimination. Larsen

attempted to throw Fischer off stride bymaking unusual moves. He hoped thatFischer wouldn’t be able to correctly an-alyze all the unusual positions. ButFischer’s knowledge of the game is un-matched, and by countering Larsen’sploys, Fischer won the match 6-0.

Larsen’s moves were probably not thebest possible, but if Fischer had not pre-viously determined what would be thebest line of play to follow in each case, hemight have lost.

The Russians have been known asmasters of the draw. Two Classical play-ers contesting a heavily analyzed gamelike chess can often finish in a draw,though Fischer shows that the very fin-est Classical player can find new andsuperior lines of play to slowly over-whelm an opponent. (Fischer is alsoknown as a master of the psyche-out; nodoubt he has a Romantic streak in him.)

Let’s get closer to standard wargamesand adventure games. Starforce AlphaCentauri is designed to favor the Roman-tic player. The designer has said that thegame is like two karate masters maneuv-ering, looking for an opening for a sin-gle, decisive blow to end the contest.The option to move in overdrive, fartherthan permitted normally but with achance for a potentially disastrous fail-ure, is custom-made for the Romanticplayer.

On the other hand, Stellar Conquest isa game of many options and much detail.The articles about Stellar Conquestwhich have appeared in DRAGON™ Mag-azine and other publications indicatehow much mastery of the game is re-quired to play it well.

In Afrika Korps the Romantic, playingthe German side, might risk a 2-1 or 1-2attack on Tobruk, while the Classicalplayer would besiege the place and goon toward Alexandria, expecting that ifhe played well he would either force theBritish to abandon Tobruk or he wouldtake their home base.

Diplomacy, though without any overtchance factor, is a good game for bothClassical and Romantic players. The ne-

The Classical wargamer concentrates on eliminatingerrors. . . . The perfect Romantic looks for the decisive

blow that will cripple his enemy.

gotiations and alliance structures giveboth types plenty to work with. TheClassical player tends to be better at tac-tics and strategy; he prefers long allian-ces to continuous free-for-all, for thereare too many risks and incalculable fac-tors inherent in such a fluid situation.The Romantic tends to prefer the fluidstate, and his big weapon is the backstab.

The D&D® and AD&D™ games, toname two prominent examples of role-playing games, are unusual insofar asthere is no player-enemy, but both play-ing styles can be discerned. The Classi-cal player tries to avoid a reliance ondice, though he must accept the occa-sional melee (where luck tends to aver-age out). He hates to roll a saving throw.He likes to devise thorough, sometimescomplicated plans to defeat a monster ortrap with a minimum of risk. The Roman-tic doesn’t mind risking a saving throwagainst spells (or whatever) in order toget in his blow at the enemy. Sometimeshe likes to rely on guile and bluff. Thesecond-level character who pretends tobe a 20th-level magic-user and slaps adragon in the face must be accounted aRomantic!

There is nothing a Classical player

hates more than losing to an inferiorplayer because of bad dice throws. Forthis reason, he avoids the more Roman-tic games, such as Starforce, because insuch games even a poor player will oc-casionally luck out and win. (This is onereason why there are more Romanticthan Classical games — more people willplay the former because the less skillfulplayers still have a chance to win, as theydo not in a Classical game.) While thegood Romantic player is inclined to oc-casionally take a calculated risk, thepoor Romantic is prone to gamble quiteoften (usually because he can’t think ofanything better to do), and once in awhile he’ll hit the jackpot.

Don’t confuse the intuitive player withthe Romantic. Many good players de-pend on intuition rather than study andlogic to make good moves, yet the movescan be either Classical or Romantic. ARomantic player can also be a very cere-bral or intellectual player who happensto prefer the Romantic style. Some peo-ple would refer to Classical players withderision as “mathematical” players. It istrue that Classical players are concernedwith odds and expected losses (thoughthis alone doesn’t identify or qualify aperson as a Classical player). Nonethe-less, Classical players do quite well innon-mathematical games.

If you can identify your opponent’splaying style, you may be able to takeadvantage of it. A Romantic may besuckered into an area which looks weakbut is not. A Classical player may be un-able to react effectively to unusualmoves. Obviously, this discussion ofplaying styles is simplified; no one iswholly Romantic or wholly Classical,and some people are Romantic whenthey play some games and Classical inother games. Whatever style your oppo-nent uses, recognizing it is the first stepto taking advantage of his weaknesses.

D R A G O N 6 9

(From page 3)violence and evil, devil-worship and the oc-cult, that they’re so popular that many peoplespend lots of time playing them.

Well, that last accusation may be true: manythousands of people do spend a lot of timeplaying the D&D and AD&D games. Just asmany other people spend a lot of time playingbaseball or golf or tennis or watching televi-sion. Any hobby presumably carries the po-tential for being too absorbing and time-consuming. But that doesn’t mean all hobbiesshould be banned, does it?

As for the other observations made by cer-tain self-appointed critics . . .

“The D&D game encourages violence andglamorizes evil” — Nothing could be furtherfrom the truth. Sure, there are evil monstersand characters; otherwise there wouldn’t beanything for the forces of good to defeat. AnyDungeon Master who uses the game rules inthe manner they were intended to be used— and any player in that DM’s campaign —will get the message loud and clear: It pays tobe good. The most successful and longest-lived characters are those who disdain evil

and work together, cooperating to defeatmutual foes. And, as we’ve said many times inthese pages, the most interesting campaignsare those that challenge players to use theirwits to conquer their foes. “Hack ’n’ slash”campaigns exist, but neither this magazinenor this company encourage such behavior.

“The D&D game promotes devil-worshipand the occult” — Only someone who takesthe game materials totally out of contextcould make this statement (and sadly, that’sexactly what some of our critics do). Sure,demons and devils can be found in the games— along with many other monsters and crea-tures, all on paper, as numbers and statistics,for one purpose and one purpose alone: togive the players something to battle against.They add flavor to the game, which, our criticsfail to remember, takes place in a fictionalworld of heroic fantasy.

In this world, as in the many worlds de-scribed in the great works of fantasy litera-ture, there are “gods” that can play a role inthe lives of the mortals who make up theworld. In this world, magic exists. But anyonewho attempts to make more of it than that, hassimply not bothered to read the rule books.The D&D and AD&D games don’t encourageevil, etc., any more than the MONOPOLYgame causes its players to become ruthlessreal-estate barons who evict widows and or-phans. Nobody who wins a MONOPOLY gameis deluded into thinking they can go out andspend all that lovely play money, are they?

Certainly, in our democracy, our critics areentitled to their views. But so are we. And ifyou know someone who has received an in-correct impression of our hobby, you don’thave to let that misconception continue. In-vite that person to roll up a character and seewhat the games are all about. We think that’sthe best argument anyone could make for thehobby.

And, try to remember how the games areintended to be played. We can’t keep anyonefrom playing the game in an improper fash-ion, but we hope your characters and cam-paigns will always live up to the standards wetry to maintain. — KM

Umbra troublesDear Editor:

I decided to try putting an umbra (fromDRAGON #61 Bestiary) up against the play-ers in my campaign, and found that it broughtup many problems. Naturally, they at first hitthe umbra itself on the wall with their wea-pons. I said it didn’t appear to have any effect.

Then they realized what to do, and one ofthem got an idea to wave his sword close tothe light source, in effect making a giantshadow of a sword. Smart, but how do I han-dle it? So, I said that it ran away.

When I told them about the monster, one

(player) pointed out that when the weaponscame in contact with the wall, the shadowswould naturally “follow” the weapons and betouching them on the wall and therefore strik-ing the umbra. Also, how can the umbra pos-sibly have such a low armor class? How hardcan it be to hit a shadow with a shadow? (Itwouldn’t take much physical exertion.) Canan umbra parry? Does the shadow of a shielddo any good? Ms. Berger had an excellentidea, but left quite a lot to be desired.

Rob SylvainHampton, N. H.

You’re right, Rob, about the shadow of aweapon “following” the weapon to the target.This will happen virtually every time a flesh-and-blood character battles an umbra, be-cause there’s no way an umbra can be locatedbetween a light source and the character’sweapon (which would make shadows trailaway from the umbra). As the DM, you couldrule that a weapon attack cannot hit an umbraif the weapon strikes the surface the monsteris covering. The attack must obviously be anattempt to hit the umbra with the weapon’sshadow; the player must specify that his orher character is purposely missing the sur-face with a weapon attack, and then carry outthat attack so that the shadow of the weaponfalls across (through?) the umbra as the wea-pon is swung or propelled. Hitting the walldoesn’t hurt the umbra, just as hitting the um-bra does no damage to the wall it’s on.

How do you handle it when somebodymakes a big shadow of his sword? Let him tryto score a hit with the shadow, if he’s figuredout the way to do it. The procedure for doingthat seems to be adequately spelled out in thearticle. Can an umbra parry? It probablywouldn’t think to do that, because it’s not verysmart, but that’s up to you. Does the shadowof a shield do any good? As indicated in thetext, only if it’s a shield with a magical bonus.An umbra’s shadow-attack will simply passover a normal shield, just like it would moveover any other solid surface it contacts beforereaching the target.

As for the question on the umbra’s armorclass: My idea of an umbra is a shadow withrough edges, such as might be created in thelight given off by a flickering torch or lantern.It changes shape almost continually as cer-tain areas fade and others grow darker, andmaybe it can only be damaged by a shadow-strike that hits it where its shadow-essence isstrongest (darkest). No matter how you de-fine the “reason, “if one is necessary, it seemsproper to make this shadowy creature hard tohit (harder than a shadow or even a wraith),considering the way it must be hit. — KM

‘One of the best’Dear Editor:

The Faerie Dragon in issue #62 of DRAGONMagazine is one of the best monsters pre-sented ever. Especially useful was the infor-mation on what Faerie Dragons eat and detailof the creature’s activities. In “Pursuit andEvasion of Pursuit” in the DMG, food is listedas a distraction. But a monster will not stop forany kind of food, only for those which arenormally eaten. What a creature eats shouldbecome mandatory information for all mon-sters, just like AC, treasure type, and so forth.

Jeff KrausPort Washington, Wis.

70 SEPTEMBER 1982

The Dragon Publishing 1982Module Design Competition

Dragon Publishing is looking for a few good modules. If you are the more strict, than for previous contests. If you intend to enter, be sureproud creator of an adventure or scenario for any of TSR Hobbies’ your entry is composed and submitted in accordance with all therole-playing game systems, and you think your work compares favora- regulations spelled out in the following text. An author’s failure tobly with modules previously published in DRAGON™ Magazine, we comply with all the rules will almost certainly result in the automaticinvite you to enter your manuscript and maps in the Dragon Publishing disqualification of that entry.1982 Module Design Competition. Contest entries will be accepted for any of the categories listed

This contest is much larger in scope than the design contests we’ve below. Each contestant may enter different modules in two categories,held in the past. Many of the rules are different, and some of them are but not in three or more.

The categoriesA-1: A “dungeon” adventure designed for from 4 (minimum) to 8

(maximum) ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® characters oflevels 1-3. The “dungeon” should be a self-contained adventuring en-vironment consisting of a number of interconnected encounter areas.The total area (in scale) of the rooms, chambers, corridors, and otherfeatures of the “dungeon,” plus the spaces separating those elements,cannot exceed 60,000 square feet on any one level of the dungeon, andthere can be no more than 120,000 sq. ft. in the entire adventuring area.The design can include as many levels or sub-sections as desired, aslong as the overall space limitation is met. The “dungeon” can besubterranean (as with an actual dungeon), above ground (a castle orfort), or a combination of both environments. Dungeon modules inother categories must also meet these requirements.

A-2: A dungeon for 4-8 AD&D™ characters of levels 4-7.A-3: A dungeon for 4-8 AD&D characters of levels 8-11.A-4: A “wilderness” adventure for 4-8 AD&D characters of levels 1-3.

This is an adventure in which all, or virtually all, of the activity takesplace outdoors. The environment may include some artificial (non-natural) structures or enclosures, or natural phenomena such as caves,which have to be entered to be investigated, but the total area of all suchenclosures cannot exceed 5,000 square feet (in scale). There is no limiton how much space the outdoor environment can occupy, but it shouldbe apparent that a “wilderness” area measuring hundreds of miles on aside would be impossible to describe fully within the maximum allow-able page count of an entry (see general rules). Wilderness modules inother categories must also meet these requirements.

A-5: A wilderness adventure for 4-8 AD&D characters of levels 4-7.A-6: A wilderness adventure for 4-8 AD&D characters of levels 8-11.A-7: An aquatic or underwater adventure for 4-8 AD&D characters of

either levels 1-3, levels 4-7, or levels 8-11. The adventure can begin ondry land (presuming that characters will need to equip themselves andprepare for a shipboard or underwater journey), but all of the adventur-ing activity thereafter should take place on or in the water, or on a pieceof land (such as an island or peninsula) that can only be reached bytraveling on or through an aquatic environment.

A-8: An urban (town, village, or city) adventure for 4-8 AD&D charac-ters of levels 1-5. An urban adventure is one that takes place inside, or(partially) in the immediate vicinity of the borders of a town, village, orcity.

A-9: An urban adventure for 4-8 AD&D characters of levels 6-10.

B-1: An adventure or scenario for the BOOT HILL™ game. This

adventure or scenario can be of any general type — indoor, outdoor,urban, rural, or a combination of environments.

D-1: The same as category A-1, except the dungeon adventureshould be designed for 4-8 DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® characters oflevels 1-3, and should be constructed in accordance with the D&D®

Basic Rulebook.D-2: The same as category A-2, except the dungeon should be for 4-8

D&D characters of levels 4-14, and should be designed in accordancewith the D&D Basic and Expert Rulebooks.

D-3: The same as category A-4, except the wilderness module shouldbe for 4-8 D&D characters of levels 4-14, and should be designed inaccordance with the D&D Basic and Expert rules.

D-4: An “all others” category for D&D modules that do not belong inone of the other three categories. Included in this category, for in-stance, would be wilderness adventures for characters of levels 1-3,and aquatic or underwater adventures for either levels 1-3 or 4-14. AnyD&D module using a set of D&D rules published previous to the Basicand Expert sets automatically falls into this category. In any case, themodule must be playable by a party of 4-8 characters.

G-1: An adventure for 4-8 characters using the GAMMA WORLD™rules that takes place in a “dungeon” environment; that is, an enclosedor self-contained structure.

G-2: An “all others” category for GAMMA WORLD modules for 4-8characters that do not belong in category G-1.

T-1: A mission for 4-8 TOP SECRET® characters, designed so thatthe primary objective of the mission is one that can be best carried outby a member or members of the Assassination Bureau.

T-2: The same as category T-1, except that the primary objective ofthe mission is related to the activities best performed by a member ormembers of the Confiscation Bureau.

T-3: The same as category T-1, but designed to use the skills of one ormore members of the Investigation Bureau in fulfilling the primaryobjective of the mission.

T-4: A mission for 4-8 TOP SECRET characters that does not qualifyfor one of the other three categories. The primary objective of themission cannot be directly related to any of the objectives listed on the“Table of Missions” in the TOP SECRET rule book. For instance, agentscould be imprisoned at the start of an adventure, and their “mission”could be to break out of prison without outside assistance. Since theobjective of escaping imprisonment does not directly relate to anyfunction listed on the “Table of Missions,” this module would be anacceptable entry for category T-4.

General rulesBe sure the module you intend to enter fits the qualifications for one

of the 20 categories. You must fill in your name and address, the title ofyour work, and the category you are entering on the entry blank (seethe other side of this page), and also include that information on thefirst page of the manuscript. As specified on the entry blank, all entriesbecome the property of Dragon Publishing and cannot be returned.

Every module consists of at least two elements: the text (manuscript),and any maps or schematic diagrams that are needed to play theadventure. A contest entry should include any diagrams or illustrationsthat are essential to the understanding of the text. Optionally, a contestentry can also include accessory illustrations (artwork). The presenceor absence of accessory illustrations will not affect the judging of an

entry, but may serve as helpful information for an artist illustrating aprize-winning module which is to be published. Accessory illustrationsprovided by a contestant will not be published unless they are ofprofessional quality.

Manuscripts must be typewritten on good-quality, 8½ x 11-inch whitepaper. Computer printouts are acceptable if the characters are cleanand dark; if you’re not sure, get a new ribbon. Typewriting must bedouble-spaced or triple-spaced; a manuscript with no space betweenthe lines cannot be edited and will not be judged. Photocopied manu-script pages are acceptable if the copies are, in the opinion of thejudges, legible and easy to read.

A manuscript must contain at least 5,000 words and no more than12,500 words. Pages should have a margin of at least one inch on allsides, and each page should contain no more than 250 words. At the

(Continued on next page)

D R A G O N 7 7

rate of 250 words per double-spaced page, a manuscript should havefrom 20 to 50 pages. (If your word count per page is slightly less than250, the manuscript may contain slightly more than 50 pages and still fitthe maximum-length requirement.)

A contest entry can contain as many maps, diagrams, and illustra-tions as you feel are necessary, within the surface-area limitations (formaps) given under category A-1. Inaccurate or incomplete maps willdisqualify an entry. Maps need not be of reproducible quality (pub-lished maps will be redrawn by our staff), but should be original works(not duplicates or photocopies). Black drawing ink, black felt-tipmarkers, and black or blue ball-point ink are acceptable mediums;pencil, colored pencil or markers, and/or crayons are not.

An entry must be derived directly and entirely from the official pub-lished rules for the game for which it is designed. For the AD&D game,this includes the Dungeon Masters Guide, Players Handbook, MonsterManual, and FIEND FOLIO™ Tome. For the D&D game, this includesthe DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game Basic rulebook and/or the D&Dgame Expert rulebook, or (for an entry in category D-4) an older editionof the D&D rules, such as the Collector’s Edition. For the BOOT HILL,GAMMA WORLD, and TOP SECRET games, any rulebook from anyedition of the boxed game is acceptable. Monsters, character types,magic items, spells, technological items, weapons, and other beings orthings not mentioned in the rulebooks are prohibited. This prohibition

includes material from DRAGON™ magazine and any TSR™ module orgame accessory, material from any other company’s product(s), andnew items and creatures devised by the author.

Exceptions to this “official” rule will be granted for minor additions(not alterations) to a game system, to cover an aspect or function notaddressed in the rules which is essential to the playability of the mod-ule. Minor additions to the rule system must be identified as such at theplaces where they appear in the text, and must be mentioned (withpage-number references) in a cover letter accompanying the entry.

A manuscript will be judged, first and foremost, on originality, playa-bility, and adherence to the rules for which it was designed. The techni-cal quality of a manuscript is also important — almost as much as themain criteria of originality, playability, and “legality.” Manuscriptswhich contain several examples of misspelling, improper word usageand sentence structure, and inaccuracy or incompleteness in descrip-tive passages will not be judged as favorably as entries that do notexhibit those qualities.

Contest entries must be postmarked or otherwise registered for send-ing by Dec. 30, 1982. We’ll notify you of our receipt of an entry if aself-addressed card with return postage is included in the parcel withthe entry. Contest entries or questions about these rules should beaddressed to the Dragon Publishing Module Design Competition, P.O.Box 110, Lake Geneva WI 53147.

PrizesCash prizes will be awarded in every category for which at least five

entries are received, as long as the first-place module is judged to be ofpublishable quality. The first-place cash prize in each eligible categorywill be at least $200 and no more than $400, and will vary according tothe number and overall quality of entries received for that category. Asecond-place cash prize amounting to one-half of the first-place cashprize will be awarded to the runnerup in any category in which thefirst-place entry qualifies for a cash prize, whether or not the second-place entry is judged to be of publishable quality.

Merchandise prizes will be awarded to first-place, second-place, and

third-place entries in any category for which cash prizes are not given,and also to third-place entries in categories for which first-place andsecond-place cash prizes are given. The first-place merchandise prizeis a two-year (24 issues) subscription to DRAGON magazine, plus acomplimentary copy of every non-periodical publication (such as fu-ture BEST OF DRAGON™ collections and the annual Dragon Publish-ing fantasy art calendar) released during the one-year period followingthe declaration of winning entries. The second-place merchandiseprize is a one-year (12 issues) subscription to DRAGON magazine, plusa free copy of other products as for the first-place prize. The third-placemerchandise prize is a one-year subscription to DRAGON magazine.All prize-winning contestants will receive a certificate of achievementto commemorate the occasion.

72 SEPTEMBER 1982

Campaigns for the keyboardReviewed by Bruce Humphrey

WIZARDRY (Sir-tech Software, Inc.;$49.95; for Apple II with 3.3 DOS, 48K)

Wizardry is a role-playing fantasygame for up to six players. Each playercan generate one or more characters,deciding on such things as race, align-ment, and abilities. Up to six charactersmay adventure at one time. Play beginsin town, where characters buy supplies.Adventuring is very similar to a D&D® orAD&D™ game, with a variety of mon-sters, many individualized rooms, and a10-level dungeon to contend with. Utili-ties, passwords, saving (storing) charac-ters, and various character options arefeatured.

There is so much good about thisgame, it’s difficult to decide where tobegin. The variety of monsters, originali-ty of the rooms, and intricacy of thecharacters will excite any dedicated fan-tasy role-player.

Generating characters can be a gamein itself. The player decides on a nameand race for the character, whereuponthe computer hands out basic attributescores (for strength, IQ, piety, vitality,agility, and luck) and points for the play-er to distribute among them, enhancingcertain abilities as he or she desires. Theplayer then decides such things as thecharacter’s class and password, if apassword is desired. This feature letsplayers store characters to which noother player has access.

Play then proceeds in the town, wherethe adventuring group is collected andsupplies are purchased. The store hasmagic items for sale, if you have the mon-ey. Later, once the party returns from thedungeon, wounds can be healed at thehotel (by resting in rooms of varyingquality), or characters can be resurrect-ed at the temple. Trading items and mon-ey among the characters in a group, re-covering wounds, buying items, and ask-ing the temple clerics for help can all beinteresting and involved experiences.

The dungeon is the heart of any role-playing “maze” game, and the Wizardrydungeon is awe-inspiring. Each of theten levels has numerous corridors, mon-sters, treasures, and rooms, but it is theindividuality of many of these which in-trigues and enchants. Some areas can-not be entered unless a group possessesan item of treasure from a certain otherroom. Other rooms can teleport charac-ters, or turn them around, so mapping isno simple task. Add to this the “window”effect of seeing these mazes in three di-mensions, as well as colorful depictionsof monsters, and adventuring gains a(pardon the expression) new dimension.

Character activities in the dungeon

that the player(s) must decide are nu-merous. Marching order is important,since only the first three characters inthe group can melee. Upon meeting anenemy group of monsters (you can sur-prise them, if you’re lucky, or be sur-prised, if you’re not), each character canfight (if it is one of the front three), parry,run (if one character runs, they all do, nomatter what the other choices; truly aunified group!), use a magic item, cast aspell, or dispel an undead (for clericsonly). Enemy monsters include orcs,kobolds, men (some “scruffy”), dogs,dragons, creeping coins (?!), skeletons,vorpal bunnies, insects, were-creatures,giants, and many others, and the compu-ter does not always tell you exactly whatthey are — at least not right away. After abattle, as long as any of the party is stillalive, experience points and treasuremay be awarded. Frequently, in lieu ofimmediate income, a chest is found, andthe characters have to decide whether toopen it, check it for traps, or leave it.

Characters can start out as fighters,magic-users, priests, or thieves, and canbecome lords, samurai, ninjas, or bish-ops once they reach higher levels in theiroriginal class. So there are dual goals —one being a gain of levels, the other thereaching of a point where charactershave the option of switching to one of themore powerful classes.

All is not perfect in Wizardry, but theflaws are minimal. The game tends toprocess information slowly, since nearlyall commands result in a disk access bythe program. A flaw in the program’s se-curity strategy allows a player to turn offthe computer when it looks like a charac-ter is about to die, then recover the char-acter via utilities. Also, it would be nice ifthe players could see the monsters in thedungeon setting, instead of on an isolat-ed view, but this is less important thanthe previously mentioned problems. Al-

though magic-users and clerics (priestsand bishops) have a number of spells,they are not sufficiently different, andmany players end up with a variety ofattack spells, but no defense.

A DM might well use the Wizardry pro-grams as alternate modules (the secondof the series is “Knight of Diamonds”, theone reviewed here is “Proving Groundsof the Mad Overlord”), and many playersand DMs can learn something from thisprogram. A bargain at its price, and noteasily beaten or solved, I recommend itto anyone tired of mediocre programsand ho-hum dungeon encounters.

AKALABETH (by California Pacific;$34.95; for any Apple)

Akalabeth, subtitled “World of Doom,”is a fantasy role-playing game for oneplayer. For each adventure, the playercreates a character who can be either afighter or magic-user, using computer-generated statistics for strength, dexteri-ty, stamina, and wisdom. Play starts in atown, where the character buys wea-pons and food. Then he sets out on thewilderness map, looking for a dungeonin which to adventure. Along the way, hemay find the castle of British and be giv-en a quest. Once in the dungeon, theplayer sees the tunnels as his characterwould, through 3-D graphics. The smalltext area under the scene is used forcharacter status updates and encounternotices.

The primary goals in this game aresurvival and the completion of your as-signed quest. And should you completethe quest, killing the creature you weretold to and returning to the castle of Brit-ish, you will probably be sent on anothermission. I don’t know if there’s an end tothis process, since my longest playingsession (eight hours) resulted in foursuccessive quests and no end to thegame.

D R A G O N 7 3

Akalabeth is a poor cousin in relationto Wizardry and some of the other recentrole-playing computer games. In fact, ifit were not for the three-dimensionalview of the dungeon, the old Adventureprograms did it better. The fact that thegame is over two years old does not ex-cuse its limitations. since excellent ar-cade games were being put out at thesame time as the debut of Akalabeth, andthose show much greater imaginationand computing skills.

What’s wrong with Akalabeth? First,it’s almost entirely a random adventure,meaning that the dungeons have no in-dividuality, the characters no depth.Monsters guarding treasure is a non-existent occurrence here. One dungeonis like another, with the same old tunnelsand creatures: There is nothing to do inthe dungeon but look for chests and de-fend yourself when attacked.

Characters are little more than collec-tions of random numbers. They can buyfood and weapons, fight in the dungeon,or be quested by British, but they remaintwo-dimensional. Only fighters and mag-ic-users are available as classes, so eachcharacter seems like many others. Thetwo classes are not that different, sincemagic-users get just two fewer weapons,while commanding an arsenal of all offour spells! The “magic” cast by M-U’s isdreary: ladders up or down, a damagespell, and a spell which changes the

74 SEPTEMBER 1982

character into either (essentially) a li-zard man or a toad.

The dungeon is dull. I counted nomore than a dozen monster types, andfew of them have individuality (thievessteal character belongings, and grem-lins steal vast amounts of food, to nametwo). Their appearance on the screen isa bare outline, like ghosts in a “B” movie.As far as I found, there are no rooms inthese dungeons, just long tunnels. Thus,treasure chests are scattered withoutany regard for lairs or guardians, result-ing in essentially “found” treasures. Andthe treasures themselves leave much tobe desired, usually consisting of a wea-pon and some spare change — no suchthing as magical weapons here, asidefrom the amulets magic-users need tocast spells. Actually, I found the mostdevastating attack is usually by thegremlins, who steal roughly half yourfood when they come upon you, even ifyou are carrying enough food to feedthree towns and every monster in thedungeon. Starvation is a frequent danger.

Mental starvation is a danger, too, andif a computer game can cause such, thisone will. A novice may find it diverting fora time, at least until he makes his thirdcompleted quest — only to be sent onstill another. A veteran role-player willlaugh off the program quickly and returnto his AD&D™ manuals.

CRUSH, CRUMBLE AND CHOMP(byAutomated Simulations, Inc.; $29.95; forApple, TRS, and Atari (reviewed on Ap-ple II)

Crush, Crumble and Chomp (CCC) isa role-playing game for one player whichcombines strategy and arcade play. Theplayer becomes a monster from the oldJapanese monster movies — Godzilla,Rodan, etc. — or even King Kong. Play isdepicted on a screen map which is 1/16thof the city map in memory; should thecreature walk beyond the edge of thescreen, a new map is put up. The mon-ster is chased by (or chases; the tablesturn rapidly) a number of human units— tanks, infantry, helicopters, squadcars, and panicky mobs, for instance.The monster’s (your) objectives, depend-ing on the scenario, are to keep well fed,destroy as much as possible, and stayalive — none of which is easy.

The player can take the part of a giantspider, a “Glob,” a biped dinosaur-type(Godzilla, but they call it “Goshilla”), arobot, a flying reptile, or a giant octo-pus/squid. And if you have the disk ver-sion, you can grow your own monstertype. Once the monster is ready andplaced in the city, the player’s optionsare vast. Actions like jumping, breathingfire, stomping, atomizing, digging, swim-ming, eating, grabbing, casting webs,and looking around for victims are allpossible, depending on your creature’sabilities. Monsters have basic attributesof strength, armor, healing, and speed,

and all of their attributes affect their

You have a choice of four city areas tosurvivability.

terrorize: New York, the Golden Gate,Washington, D. C., and — naturally —Tokyo. The maps of these cities are mar-velous, especially once some of the cityis destroyed or burning and bustlingwith fearful mobs. This is when the armyenters, and things get tough. The tanks,artillery, and infantry are hard to kill andcan hit the monster more easily than thelocal police can. Victory for the monsterdepends on how long it can survive anddestroy.

Many aspects of the game are a treat.The rules are written in a light-heartedfashion, referring to the reader as if hewere a movie monster getting ready for afun afternoon of destruction. It does getyou in the mood to play the game. It issurprisingly fun to destroy and burn —like living out all those old movies — andjust like in those movies, there is noblood. There is even a mad scientist whois, as an individual, more deadly than anyother unit. He can hit you with a drainingweapon which causes the monster toslow with each turn, until it moves nolonger and is just a target for those peskyarmy units. Play in general is fast-mov-ing, the player being allowed only a lim-ited time for each move (which makesthe game simulate “real time,” as well asbeing arcade-like) — and once hit by themad scientist, the monster’s turn to actcomes more and more infrequently.

The game system isn’t perfect, fromthe player/monster point of view. A mon-ster cannot enter a building square with-out destroying the building first, and if abuilding located just off the screen mapis blocking your movement off the map,tough; you can’t see it, or destroy it, soyou have to pick another route. Themonsters, even the flyers, move veryslowly, having to alter their facing to turncorners; it is especially irksome to un-dertake a full turn just in order to swingthe creature’s head to a new angle.Hunger is another difficulty, since cer-tain creatures get hungry so quickly theymust continually feed. The rules men-tion the option of saving the game beingplayed, which could come in handy in along scenario, but my disk would notrespond to the prescribed commands. Afinal problem is with the conclusion ofthe game itself, since the monster has todie, no matter how well you do. Thegame goes on until this happens, with nogoal for the player except putting off theinevitable. This is a bit unsatisfying.

The game is satisfying, however, froma fun-to-play standpoint, and that countsmore. The graphics are good; the gamedesign overall is excellent. In general, itplays much like the SPI game Creaturethat Ate Sheboygan, with the added thrillof actually seeing the flare of battle. In-expensive for what you get, I considerthis one of my best computer-game buys.

A dynamic duo from GDWReviewed by Tony Watson

The ubiquitous Keith brothers, Andrewand William, designers of some of thevery best in adventures and play aids forthe TRAVELLER™ system, have returnedagain, this time in one of Game De-signers’ Workshop’s line of double ad-ventures. The merging of their talent andGDW’s usual high production standardsin The Chamax Plague / Horde shouldleave no TRAVELLER ref dissatisfied.

Although The Chamax Plague andHorde can be employed as separate ad-ventures, the two also share a consider-able amount of information. A refereecould link the adventures together in anextended campaign stretching over manyplay sessions. The situations and mate-rial are challenging enough to warrantsuch attention.

Chamax / Horde seems to have a solidSF pedigree; this reviewer detected bitsof Heinlein’s novel Starship Troopers,the movie Alien and those late 1950s“space creature” films that crop up lateat night on weekend TV schedules. Thisis not to say that the approach used isunsophisticated: quite to the contrary,the scenarios are well thought out, intel-ligent and challenging.

In The Chamax Plague, the playergroup, representing the crew of the freetrader Mudshark, intercepts a derelictpinnace owned by the mining companyInStarSpec. As a result of the rescue,they are asked to journey to the planetChamax and search for the rest of theISS survey team. Little is known aboutChamax, save that ruins found there in-dicate that an advanced culture onceflourished on the world. On Chamax, theparty discovers the survey team’s ship,the ruins and the cause of the surveyteam’s distress — the chamax.

The creatures that come to be knownas the chamax are not literally bug-eyedmonsters, but they’re close enough. Thedesigners have taken care to insure thatthese animals are not ludicrous or unbe-lievable in their abilities. The six-pagesection on the chamax covers theircharacteristics, abilities in combat, lifecycle, and physiology, and is a laudableexample of the kind of detail and back-ground that makes a great TRAVELLERadventure. Bill Keith’s illustrations areextremely useful on this account.

Horde is something of a sequel to thefirst adventure. The scene is a parsecaway, on the world of Rashev. The party,either the same group that exploredChamax or a new bunch, are stuck onthis low-tech backwater planet whileawaiting parts for the failed fusion driveof their free trader. They have been un-

information about the chamax and buildstoward the bottom-line solution to theproblem.

This is a nicely presented double ad-venture. I was impressed with the wealthof detail and information included. Thepossibilities and options for each scena-rio have been considered and outlinedand the referee should have little troublein administering them. For TRAVELLERplayers looking for an exciting and har-rowing adventure, The Chamax Plague/Horde seems made to order.

love this one

This double adventure has a retailprice of $4.98 and is sold at game andhobby stores, or by direct mail fromGame Designers’ Workshop, P.O. Box1646, Bloomington IL 61701.

able to sell their cargo of laser weaponsand are in poor financial shape.

Rail buffs will

It is at this time that an alien spaceshiplands on the planet. Its occupants, how-ever, are not an unknown intelligentrace, but a horde of chamax. What en-sues is a series of eight distinct situa-tions, or mini-scenarios, that can beplayed or ignored at the ref’s discretion,though it is recommended that the firstand last of the group always be played.The situations are military engagementsfought between the local tech-6 militia(into whose service the off-world partyhas been pressed) and the alien invad-ers. The situations are tense and excit-ing, and should prove a real challenge toplayers. Each incident offers a bit more

by Gary Gygax

This is not an exhaustive analysis ofEMPIRE BUILDER, the new game byMayfair Games, Inc. My Worthy Col-league, Mike Gray, game designer ex-traordinaire and fellow railroad-gamebuff, claims to have done all that; so wewill all await his revelations in a futureissue. I merely wish to tell you how muchfun the game is — and it is great fun!

Empire Builder, aptly subtitled a “Con-tinental Railbuilding Game,” is for two tosix adult players. It contains a map of thecontinental United States and southernCanada, a four-page rule booklet, a chartof loads and cities, destination and eventcards, counters for loads and train types,a box of crayons, play money and sixmetal locomotives as game markers. Themap is marked off in 50-mile spaces withdots, triangles (mountains), and cities.

Each contestant must devise his or herown rail network based on the demandshown on the cards dealt. Thus, after aninitial pair of construction turns, eachplayer typically does some railroad build-ing, moving, and load pickup/delivery.Victory goes to the first player to hold$250 million or more.

The strategy of Empire Builder is sim-ply to build the most efficient rail systemin the shortest amount of time at the leastpossible cost. This allows accumulationof money and attainment of victory con-ditions. Tactical decisions involve manythings, including cities served, loadscarried, the type of train being run, andpositioning of track to be built. Thesedecisions are complicated by opponents’builds, demand cards drawn, and eventcards which have a nasty way of poppingup just when you least want them. Forinstance, you might be about to deliver a

load of sugar to Toronto when a “WildcatStrike” prevents all (further) movementon your line. Strikes, hurricanes, floods,and snow all lurk within the deck of de-mand cards. This adds considerablespice to the play of the game.

Empire Builder is not a game for thewhole family — unless they all happen tobe either hard-core gamers or avid rail-road buffs. It is a game for those whoenjoy contests which are short on rule-reading and long on playing enjoyment.It is a game to be played by those wholike game playing. As such, EmpireBuilder is the best boardgame to comeout in a long time. In my opinion it is thebest available, being more complex andchallenging than the simpler sort andnot as tedious and complicated as thoseat the other end of the spectrum.

Empire Builder is available in manystores, or by direct mail from MayfairGames, Inc., P.O. Box 5987, Chicago IL60680. It has a recommended retail priceof about $20 — and it’s worth it!

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